Stephen, however, regarded them not, but fixing his ardent gaze upward, was ravished with the vision of glory revealed to him, and declared that he saw the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.
This farther enraged his enemies, who resolved to deal with him as a blasphemer; and, therefore they raised a great noise and clamor, stopped their ears to hear no cries for mercy, and rushing upon him, they hurried him out of the city in order to stone him, according to an ancient law against blasphemers.
The witnesses, according to custom, stripped themselves, and then began the tragedy, which was soon seconded by the multitude. During all this, the pious martyr was on his knees praying to God, and earnestly interceding for his murderers, "that he would not charge this guilt upon them"—till at length he fell asleep in the arms of death, being the first martyr who suffered in the Christian Church, A. D. 34.
SAUL OF TARSUS, OR PAUL.
This great agent in the first persecution of the Church of God was well educated in the learning of the times, and one of the most strict of the sect of the Pharisees. He was born in the Roman city Tarsus, and enjoyed the privilege of a free citizen of Rome, which gave him high influence among the Jews, and increased his power to injure the followers of Jesus. He pursued the Christians with the fury of a bigot and the rage of a madman. He paid no regard to age or sex; tearing the husband from the wife, and the mother from her children, and breathing vengeance and blood wherever he came.
But at last it pleased God, A. D. 35, to put a stop to his violence and wickedness. And wonderful was the change of his heart. Having dispersed the Christians from Jerusalem, he was on a journey to renew his persecutions in Damascus, when a sudden light from heaven smote him to the ground, and he heard a voice, "Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me?" The haughty Saul trembled, his conscience smote him, his soul was humbled, and his feelings melted for the cause he had heretofore hated and persecuted.