We read in the book which is called The Acts of the Apostles, that the
apostles ordained seven deacons in the congregation which, from among the
Jewish people, had turned to Christ's faith, after his passion, and
resurrection from death, and ascension to heaven. Of these deacons the
first was STEPHEN, to whom we do honour on this day. He was of great faith,
and filled with the Holy Ghost. The six others were called by these names;
Stephen was the first, the second Philip, the third Prochorus, the fourth
Nicanor, the fifth Timothy, the sixth Parmenas, the seventh Nicolas. They
chose these seven, and set them in the presence of the apostles, and they
then, with prayers and blessings, were ordained deacons. The preaching of
God waxed then daily, and the number of christian men was greatly
multiplied in Jerusalem. Then was the blessed Stephen filled with God's
grace, and with great strength, and he wrought miracles and great signs
among the people. Then arose some of the unbelieving Jews, and would with
their error quell the blessed martyr's doctrine; but they could not
withstand his wisdom, nor the Holy Ghost, who spake through him. Then they
set false witnesses, who belied him, and said that he spake blasphemous
words of Moses and of God. The people were then greatly excited, and the
elders, and the Jewish scribes, and they seized Stephen, and drew him to
their council, and {47} the false witnesses said of him, "This man ceaseth
not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and God's law. We
heard him say that Christ shall destroy this place, and change the usages
which Moses hath taught us." Then looked on him they who sate in the
council, and saw his countenance like the face of an angel. Then said the
chief priest to the blessed martyr, "Is it as they say?" Then would the
holy man Stephen rectify their unbelieving hearts with the example and
remembrance of their forefathers, and, with all love, incline them to the
way of truth. He began then to relate to them concerning the patriarch
Abraham, how the God of heaven chose him for associate, and promised him,
that all nations should be blessed in his offspring, for his obedience. In
like manner, in a long narrative, he renewed before them the memory of the
other patriarchs; and how Moses, through God's might, wonderfully led their
forefathers over the Red Sea, and how they afterwards were forty days in
the waste, daily fed with heavenly food; and how God led them to the Jewish
country, and wholly destroyed before their sight all the heathen nations;
and of David the great king's greatness, and of Solomon's glory, who the
great temple raised to God. At last he said, "Ye withstand the Holy Ghost
with stiff neck and unbelieving heart; ye are betrayers and murderers, and
the righteous Christ ye enviously slew; ye have received a law by the
disposition of angels, and ye have held it not." Then were the Jews greatly
disturbed in their heart, and gnashed their teeth against him. But the holy
Stephen was filled with the Holy Ghost, and looked towards heaven, and saw
the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right of his Father; and he
said, "Behold, I see the heavens open, and the Son of man standing at the
right hand of God." Then the Jews, crying with a loud voice, held their
ears, and with one accord rushed on him, and seized him, and led him out of
the city to be stoned. The false witnesses then laid their coats before the
{49} feet of a young man who was called SAUL. They then begun to stone with
hard stones the blessed Stephen; and he cried, and said, "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit." And he bowed his knees, crying with a loud voice, "My
Lord, place not thou these deeds to them as sin." And he then with that
word departed to the Almighty Saviour, whom he had seen standing high in
heaven.
The wise Augustine spake touching this text, and inquired, why the holy
martyr Stephen said that he saw the Son of man standing at God's right
hand, and would not say the Son of God; when it seemed worthier of Christ
to be called the Son of God than the Son of man? But it was fitting that
Jesus should be so manifested in heaven, and so announced on earth. All the
malice of the Jews arose in this, Why the Lord Christ, who, after the
flesh, is truly the Son of man, should also be called the Son of God; for
the holy writ hath very properly mentioned the Son of man standing at the
right hand of God, to shame the disbelief of the Jews. Christ was
manifested in heaven to his blessed martyr Stephen, who was slain by the
unbelievers on earth; and the heavenly truth gave testimony of him, whom
earthly wickedness had shamefully calumniated. Who can rightly be called
the Son of man, save Christ only, when every man besides him is the son of
two persons? The blessed Stephen saw Christ standing, because he was his
support in the spiritual fight of his martyrdom. Verily we confess in our
creed that the Lord sits at the right hand of his Father. A seat is
befitting to a judge, and standing to one helping or fighting. Now our
creed acknowledges Christ's seat, because he is the true Judge of the
living and the dead: and the blessed martyr Stephen saw him standing,
because he was his helper, as we before said. The death of all the chosen
saints is precious in the sight of God; yet it seems, if any difference may
be between martyrs, that he is the most exalted who suffered {51} martyrdom
next to God. Now Stephen was ordained deacon at the hands of the apostles;
but he preceded them in the kingdom of heaven by a triumphant death; and so
he who was lower in order was first in suffering; and he who was a disciple
in condition was the earliest to be a doctor in martyrdom. That death
verily which Jesus vouchsafed to suffer for men, Stephen gave first of men
to Jesus. He is called protomartyr, that is the first witness, because he
first after Christ's passion suffered martyrdom. Stephen is a Greek name,
which is in Latin, _Coronatus_, and which we express in English by,
_Glory-crowned_, because he has the eternal crown of glory, as his name
foretold to him. The lying witnesses, who had falsely accused him, begun
first to stone him; because the law of Moses taught, that whosoever accused
another to death should throw the first stone against him whom he had
before slain with his tongue. The cruel Jews raging stoned the holy one,
and he cried and said, "Lord, place thou not these deeds to them as sin."
Understand now, my brethren, the great love of this blessed man. He was
placed in death, and yet he prayed with true love for his slayers; and amid
the falling of the stones, when any one might forget his dearest friends,
he commended his foes to God, thus saying, "Lord, place thou not these
deeds to them as sin." He was more afflicted on account of their sins than
of his own wounds, more for their wickedness than his own death; and
rightly more, seeing that eternal death followed their wickedness, and
eternal life followed his death. Saul held the garments of the false
witnesses, and zealously instigated their minds to the stoning. But Stephen
with bended knees besought the Lord that he would redeem Saul. Stephen's
prayer was heard, and Saul was redeemed. The pious one was heard, and the
impious justified.
By this deed is shown how greatly avails the prayer of {53} true love.
Verily the church of God would not have had Paul as a teacher, if the holy
martyr Stephen had not thus prayed. Behold, Paul now rejoices with Stephen
in the kingdom of heaven; with Stephen he enjoys the brightness of Christ,
and with him he rules. Whither Stephen preceded, stoned with the stones of
Saul, thither Paul followed, aided by the prayers of Stephen. Paul is not
there defiled through Stephen's murder, but Stephen rejoices in the
fellowship of Paul, because true love rejoices in them both. True love
overcame the cruelty of the Jews to Stephen, and the same love covered over
the greatness of his sins in Paul, and it in both of them together earned
the kingdom of heaven. Verily true love is the fountain and origin of all
goodness, and noble fortitude, and the way that leads to heaven. He who
journeys in true love cannot err nor fear: it directs, and shields, and
leads. Through true love was the holy martyr rendered so courageous that he
boldly reproved the disbelief of the Jews, and he continued tranquil amid
the great stones, and benevolently prayed for the stoners, and, in addition
thereto, entered the heavenly hall living, and crowned with glory.
My brethren, let us in some degree imitate so great a teacher's faith, and
so great a martyr's love. Let us love our brothers in God's church with
such affection as that with which this martyr loved his foes. Be mindful
what Truth itself has promised in the holy gospel, and what pledge it has
given us. Jesus said, "If ye forgive those men who sin against you, then
will your heavenly Father forgive you your sins: but if ye will not
forgive, your Father will not forgive you your sins." Ye hear now, my
brethren, that it stands, through God's grace, at our own option how we
shall be judged before God. He said, "If ye forgive, ye shall be forgiven."
Let no man deceive himself: verily if any one hate a man in this world,
whatever good he may have done, {55} he loses it all; for the apostle Paul
speaks not falsely, who says, "Though I spend all my wealth in food for the
poor, and though I give my own body to be slain, so that I burn in
martyrdom, if I have not true love, it profiteth me nothing." Concerning
the same the evangelist John said, "He who loveth not his brother
continueth in death." Again he said, "Every one who hateth his brother is a
murderer." We are all brothers who believe in God, and we all say, "Pater
noster qui es in coelis," that is, "Our Father who art in heaven." Let no
man presume on kinship without true love. Let no man trust in alms-deeds,
or in prayers, without the aforesaid love; for so long as he holds black
malice in his heart, he cannot in any way delight the merciful God. But if
he desire that God be merciful to him, let him listen to good counsel, not
from my mouth, but from that of Christ himself: he said, "If thou offerest
thy gift at God's altar, and thou there rememberest that thy brother hath
something against thee, leave forthwith the gift before the altar, and go
first to thy brother, and reconcile thee to him, and when thou comest again
to the altar, offer then thy gift." But if thou hast injured thy christian
brother, then hath he something against thee, and thou shalt, according to
God's teaching, gladden him, ere thou offerest thy gift. But if the
christian man, who is thy brother, hath in aught done thee evil, that thou
shalt mercifully forgive. Our spiritual gifts are our prayers, and hymn,
and housel-hallowing, and every other gift that we offer to God, which we
should give to God with peaceful heart and brotherly love. Now will some
man say against this text, I cannot love my foe, whom I see daily
bloodthirsty against me. O thou man, thou seest what thy brother hath done
to thee, but thou seest not what thou hast done to God. When thou much
heavier sins hast perpetrated against God, why wilt thou not forgive one
man little offences, that the Almighty God may forgive thee great {57}
sins? Now again thou wilt say, It is a great hardship for me to love my
foe, and to pray for him who meditates harm against me. We will not gainsay
that it is a great hardship; but if it is difficult in this world, it turns
to a great reward in the one to come. Verily by love of thy foe thou art
the friend of God, and not only art thou his friend, but thou art also a
child of God, by the condition that thou love thy foe; as Christ himself
hath said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, that ye be
your Father's children, who is in heaven." Many hardships and contumelies
any one would easily endure that he might be accounted the child of some
powerful man, and his heir to transitory possessions: bear now patiently,
for the everlasting honour of being accounted children of God, and his
heirs in heavenly riches, that which the other would undergo for a frail
matter.
We tell you God's law; hold it if ye will. If we kept it in silence, we
should not be secure. Love of Christ compels us ever to stimulate the good,
that they continue in goodness; and we admonish the wicked that they may
quickly turn from their wickedness. Let not the righteous be heedless at
his beginning, nor the wicked despair through his unrighteousness. Let the
good man dread lest he fall; the wicked take care that he stand. Let him
who is wicked imitate the conversion of Paul; let him who is good persist
in goodness with Stephen; for no beginning is praiseworthy without a good
ending. All praise will be sung at the end.
My brethren, yesterday our Lord vouchsafed to visit this world in true
human nature: now to-day the noble champion Stephen, quitting his bodily
dwelling, went triumphant to heaven. Christ descended clothed with flesh;
Stephen ascended, through his blood with glory crowned. Yesterday angels
sung, "Glory to God in the highest;" now to-day they received Stephen
rejoicing in their fellowship, with whom he glorieth and rejoiceth to all
eternity. Amen.
* * * * *
{58} VI. KA[=L]. JAN.