20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.



Ver. 20. When the blood of thy martyr] An honour not afforded to any angel in heaven, said Father Latimer. God forgive me mine unthankfulness, said Bradford, for this, that I must die a martyr, that Christ will be magnified in my mortal body, whether it be by life or by death. Stephen, Christ’s proto-martyr! Antipas, my faithful martyr! what a high style is this! Ignatius professed that he would rather he a martyr than a monarch. He called his bonds his spiritual pearls, and triumphed in his voyage to Rome to suffer, to think that his blood should be found among the mighty worthies, such as Abel, Stephen, Antipas, &c. {a}



{a} ôá äåóìá áðåñéöåñù ôïõò ðíåõìáôéêïõò ìáñãáñéôáò . Ep. ad Ephes.