Acts 7:60

Wherefore, in short, the Master Himself, when He was being led to the cross by those who knew Him not, prayed the Father for His murderers, and said, 'Father, forgive their sin, for they know not what they do!' [Luke 23:34] The disciples also, in …

"And he knelt down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." To clear himself, and show that neither were his former words prompted by passion, he says, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge": wishing also even in this way to win them over. For to show that he forgave their wrath and rage in murdering him, and that his own soul was free from all passion, was the way to make his saying to be favorably received.

And this blessed man does not simply pray, but does it with earnestness: "having kneeled down." Mark his divine death! So long only the Lord permitted the soul to remain in him. "And having said this, he fell asleep."

But kneeling down, he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." For himself indeed he prayed standing, for his enemies he knelt, because their greater iniquity demanded the greater remedy of supplication. And the wondrous virtue of …

Lord, do not hold this sin against them. And having said this, he fell asleep. Beautifully he says "fell asleep," and did not say "died." For he offered the sacrifice of love and fell asleep in the hope of resurrection.

"Having knelt down, he cried out with a loud voice: Lord! do not charge them with this sin." He does not simply pray, he says, but with fervor, since God permitted his soul to remain in his body until that moment. Notice the voice and …

1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:98%@v1-3

And he kneeled down,....

IT is of the greatest service to us all to be reminded that our life is but a vapor which appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Through forgetfulness of this, worldlings live at ease and Christians walk carelessly. Unless we watch for the Lord's coming, worldliness soon eats into our spirit as does a canker. If you have this world's riches, Believer, remember that this is not your rest—set not too great a store by its comforts.

IT is of the greatest service to us all to be reminded that our life is but a vapor which appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Through forgetfulness of this, worldlings live at ease and Christians walk carelessly. Unless we watch for the Lord's coming, worldliness soon eats into our spirit as does a canker. If you have this world's riches, Believer, remember that this is not your rest—set not too great a store by its comforts. If, on the other hand, you dwell in straitness and are burdened with poverty, be not too much depressed, for these light afflictions are but for a moment and are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us! Look upon the things that are as though they were not. Remember you are a part of a great procession which is always moving by—others come and go before your own eyes—you see them and they disappear. You, yourself, are moving onward to another and more real world. "'Tis greatly wise to talk of our last hours," to give a rehearsal of our departure and to be prepared to stand before the great tribunal of the judgment. Our duty is to trim our lamps against the time when the Bridegroom comes. We are called upon to stand always ready, waiting for the appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, or else for the summons which shall tell us that the pitcher is broken at the fountain and the wheel broken at the cistern—that the body must return to the earth as it was and the spirit unto God who gave it. This death scene of Stephen's may aid our meditations while, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we cast our minds forward to the time when we, also, must fall asleep.

He kneeled down - That he might die as the subject of his heavenly Master - acting and suffering in the deepest submission to his Divine will and permissive providence; and, at the same time, showing the genuine nature of the religion of his Lord, in pouring out his prayers with his blood in behalf of his murderers! Lay not this sin to their charge - That is, do not impute it to them so as to exact punishment. How much did the servant resemble his Lord, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!

And he kneeled down - This seems to have been a “voluntary” kneeling; a placing himself in this position for the purpose of “prayer,” choosing to die in this attitude. Lord - That is, Lord Jesus. See the notes on Act 1:24. Lay not ... - Forgive them. This passage strikingly resembles the dying prayer of the Lord Jesus, Luk 23:34. Nothing but the Christian religion will enable a man to utter such sentiments in his dying moments. He fell asleep - This is the usual mode of describing the death of saints in the Bible. It is an expression indicating: (1) The “peacefulness” of their death, compared with the alarm of sinners; (2) The hope of a resurrection; as we retire to sleep with the hope of again awaking to the duties and enjoyments of life. See Joh 11:11-12; 1Co 11:30; 1Co 15:51; 1Th 4:14; 1Th 5:10; Mat 9:24. In view of the death of this first Christian martyr, we may remark: (1) That it is right to address to the Lord Jesus the language of prayer. (2) It is especially proper to do it in afflictions, and in the prospect of death, Heb 4:15. (3) Sustaining grace will be derived in trials chiefly from a view of the Lord Jesus. If we can look to him as our Saviour; see him to be exalted to deliver us; and truly commit our souls to him, we shall find the grace which we need in our afflictions. (4) We should have such confidence in him as to enable us to commit ourselves to him at any time. To do this, we should live a life of faith. In health, and youth, and strength, we should seek him as our first and best friend. (5) While we are in health we should prepare to die. What an unfit place for preparation for death would have been the situation of Stephen! How impossible then would it have been to have made preparation! Yet the dying bed is often a place as unfit to prepare as were the circumstances of Stephen. […]