ciple named Ananias, to whom said the Lord in a vífion, Ananias! And he faid, Behold I am here, Lord. I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy faints at Jerufalem: and here he hath authority from the Chief Priefts, to bind all that call upon thy name. But the Lord faid unto him, go thy way: for he is a chosen vefiel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings, and the children of lsrael," Acts ix. 13, 14, 15. That the veffel which was to bear the name of Christ before the Gentiles, &c. was to be chofen by him is here evident; and St. Paul himfelf farther fays, "Chrift fent me (not to baptize, but) to preach the gofpel," 1 Cor. i. 17; and defires only to finish his courfe with joy; " and the miniftry which I have received of the Lord Jefus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God," Acts xx. 24. He declares himself "an apostle, not by man, but by Jefus Chrift," Gal. i. 1, and that "he preaches the word committed to him according to the commandment of God our Saviour," Titus i. 3. See alfo 2.Corinth. x. 7, 8, and xiii. 10. To him who was to choofe, it is therefore to be concluded the petition was preferred that he would fhew whether of these two he had chofen to preach his gospel, and take part of that miniftry to which "the wifdom of God," Luke xi. 49, even "Chrift," Mat. xxiii. 34; faid, "I will fend them prophets and apoftles:" fo that here is an inftance of adoration incontrovertibly offered up to Jefus Chrift; therefore one with the Father, God, the proper object of prayer and religious worship.

But, throughout the relation, there is a farther teftimony to be found of the adoration of Jefus Chrift; for Ananias, himself a difciple, declares, that Saul was a perfecutor of thofe who called upon the name of Christ, and the difciples of our Saviour were therefore afraid of him when he affayed to join himself unto them,”

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Acts ix. 26; for "all that heard him preach Christ in the fynagogues were amazed, and faid, is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerufalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound to the Chief Priests?" Acts ix. 20, 21. We have here direct proof that the difciples of Christ called upon his name, both from those who did, and those who did not call upon it.

I fhall in this place take notice of Mr. Lindfey's affertion, (fupported by quotations from various authors) that to call upon the name of Jefus is the fame as to be called by the name of Jesus, or to have the name of Jefus called upon the fubject spoken of. This declaration he has made in his very extraordinary comment upon 1 Cor. i. 2. Apology, p. 132. And he farther declares, that Stephen's calling upon the name of Jefus, is the only paffage in which these words mean directly the fame as invoking him. Notwithstanding that the name of that great critick in the Greek language, Dr. Clarke, is produced in evidence of this affertion, I own I am not convinced of its truth; nor can I fee a reason why the identical word, fignifying an invocation in one place, fhall be denied to have the fame fignification in another, where the context is exactly fimilar to that in which it is allowed to have that meaning, and indeed in which it requires to be so interpreted, in order to its bearing any meaning at all. But, with refpect to the paffage before us, it is a little remarkable that the name of Chrift had not yet been called upon his difciples, and that for want of a name to comprehend them all, the commiffion to Saul is couched in the following aukward terms: "that if he found any of this way, he might bring them bound unto Jerufalem," Acts ix. 2. In the execution of this warrant from the priests it was, that Saul was chofen to bear the name of Jefus Chrift to the Gentiles;

and this happened exactly two years after the afcenfion of our Saviour, whereas it was not till ten years after that event that the difciples were first called Chriftians at Antioch. How difingenuoufly then do men deal, not only with the world, but with themselves alfo, in wrefting words from their true meaning, to the support of their own fuggeftions. If one man, filled with the Holy Ghoft for the purpose of "guiding him into. all truth," has invoked Jefus Chrift, is not fuch an act, once fo performed, fufficient to evince the propriety of the invocation, and to establish the right of Jefus Chrift to be invoked? And if adoration then be the due of Chrift, why fhould we deny a literal interpretation to, words by which it is afferted, that the difciples of our Lord rendered him that praife and adoration to which he is entitled? Is it meant that the difciples contradict the testimony of the Holy Ghoft by which Stephen called upon the Lord Jefus? They were themselves filled with the Holy Ghoft; and is the Spirit of Truth divided against himself? If this be the affertion, either Stephen, or the Disciples, or Dr. Clarke, or Mr. Lindsey, are guilty of an impious and abfurd blafphemy, and I leave it to my reader to choose the blafphemer. "He is a chofen veffel unto me," fays Jefus Christ to Ananias, Acts ix. 15. "The God of our Fathers hath chofen thee," fays Ananias to Saul, Acts xxii. 14. Who, can now withhold the application of the following addrefs to the Lord Jefus, or his concurrence with me in saying to him, “Lord thou art God.”—See Inquiry into the Belief, &c. p. 277.

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There is yet another circumftance in the paffage before us, which proves that the prayer was addressed to Jefus Chrift. Peter, (who had, upon his own appointment to the ministry, taken our Lord to witness that he loved him, and would with fidelity difcharge the trust of

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feeding his fheep committed to his keeping, faying, "Lord, thou knoweft all things; thou knoweft that I love thee," John xxi. 17.) was certainly the chief fpeaker, and the perfon who preferred the prayer of this venerable affembly. It is therefore highly probable, that he who had accepted of his own apostleship with such an acknowledgment of our Saviour's omniscience, repeated the like acknowledgment when calling upon him to choose another to affociate with them, who should alfo love him, and faithfully acquit himself of a part in the fame apostleship. When Peter fpoke those words to Jefus Chrift in his own cafe, he certainly alluded to his knowledge of the heart, for " he was grieved;" and well he might upon recollection of the event which induced the declaration, for he had an aching memory of our Lord's more intimate knowledge of his own heart than he was himself poffeffed of, when upon his confidence of his own faith, faying, "I will lay down my life for thy fake, Jefus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my fake? verily verily I fay unto thee, the cock hall not crow, till thou haft denied me thrice," John xiii. 37, 38. This he knew to have been truly spoken by his Mafter, and for him, whofe own particular experience had taught him that Jefus Christ was acquainted with man, and needed not that any fhould teftify of man, it is exceedingly natural that he should on fuch an oc◄ cafion fay to him "who knew all things," "Lord which knoweft the hearts of all men, &c."

XXXV.

When Peter and John had," in the name of Jefus Chrift of Nazareth," healed the lame man at the gate of the temple, the people who faw it ran together greatly wondering;" and when Peter faw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Ifrael, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye fo earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man walk ?” Acts

Acts iii. 12. "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Ifrael, that, by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man ftand here before you whole," Acts iv. 10. Upon which, the Rulers, having threatened Peter and John, were obliged to let them go, "for all men glorified God for that which was done," Acts iv. 21. Peter, when he restored Eneas to health at Lydda, called him from his bed in the following remarkable terms: "Eneas, Jefus Chrift maketh thee whole: arife, and make thy bed," Acts ix. 34. He arofe immediately, and the confequence was, that "all that dwelt at Lydda, and Saron, saw him, and turned to the Lord," ver. 35.

XXXVI.

"When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him (Stephen) with their teeth. But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up ftedfaftly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jefus ftanding on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man ftanding on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and caft him out of the city, and ftoned him: And the witneffes laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they ftoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jefus receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this fin to their charge," Acts vii. 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60.

Mr. Lindsey's remark upon this passage is so very particular, that I will give it at large, and then proceed to fhew its futility to the very few of my readers who fhall not have found it out of themselves. "There is no doubt but Stephen made this request, addressed this prayer to the Lord Jefus. But this can be no precedent for di

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