3. The event ; he ' saw the glory of God, and Jesus Christ standing at his right hand.' And in his publication of his vision, ' Behold, I see the heavens opened.' Now here three difficulties are to be considered —
[1.] The opening of the heavens, how such a solid body should be divided, and yet close and come together again.
[2.] The seeing of God, who is invisible : John i. 18, ' No man hath seen God at any time ; ' and 1 Tim. vi. 16, 'He dwell eth in light, which no mortal eye can approach unto and live.'
[3.] The seeing Christ at so great a distance. How can a mortal eye reach so far through the house in which the council was met, the intervening clouds and firmament ? These difficulties we must remove before we go further. To solve these doubts there are many opinions.
(1.) Some make it a mere intellectual vision, or the sight of faith. He was so firmly persuaded of the truth of these things, as if he had seen them with bodUy eyes. So Abraham saw Christ's day, John viii. 56.
(2.) A prophetical vision, such as the prophets had by the immediate instinct and operation of God. So Isaiah saw God on the throne, Isa. vi. 1. Paul was rapt into the third heaven, whether in the body or out of the body he could not tell, 2 Cor. xii. Most of the visions the prophets had were of this nature: 1 Kings xxii. 19, 'I saw the Lord sitting on his throne,' said Micaiah. A vision, as distinguished from a dream, was an immediate representation of things, either to the imagi- nation, or to the understanding of a man while he awoke. Certainly this was one means whereby God did manifest himself to the prophets. If to their imagination, then he did affect their minds and hearts with certain sensible objects and species. If to their understanding, by cer-
72 SERMON UPON ACTS VII. 55, 56. '
tain ideas and representations, as did wonderfully ravish and transport them.
(3.) Others, a symbolical vision, that he saw these things by certain external shapes and corporeal images : as John Baptist saw the Spirit descending like a dove on Clirist, John i. 32. So Moses is said to see God, Exod. xxiv. 11, as he saw some visible signs of his glorious pre- sence. The rays of his majesty have been seen by creatures.
(4.) Others think his natural eye was so strengthened as to be able to pierce the clouds and see God's throne, and Christ at his right hand. Such a sight the blessed have hereafter : John xvii. 24, ' I will that they may be with me, that they may behold my glory.' And they think, by extraordinary dispensation, this was vouchsafed to Stephen ; that ho had such a supernatural light as to see heaven opened, and the splendour and majesty of God, and Christ at his right hand; in short, a glimpse of the beatifical vision.
Now which of these shall we choose for the opening of these words ? The sight of faith cannot be denied ; but withal it must be granted that it was accompanied with a glorious apparition and spiritual ecstasy ; which if any will call a glimpse of the beatifical vision, there is nothing absurd in it ; for it is said, ' His face shone like an angel,' Acts vi. 15 ; that is, there was a great splendour about him. And God, that wrought such a change in liis body, might exhibit such a manifestation of him- self to his mind as might come near to the beatifical vision.
But let us come more particularly to the difficulties alleged.
{1st.) The opening of heaven implieth not a change in the nature of heaven, or rupture there ; for it was only seen of Stephen, not by his enemies. The miracle was not in heaven, but in his eye. A miracu- lous vision it was, or some remarkable manner of appearance. We read, the heavens were opened at Christ's baptism. Mat. iii. 16. But interpreters are at a stand whether they were really parted asunder, or only after some remarkable manner of" appearance. So again, that the heavens were opened in Peter's trance. Acts x. 11. And that is granted by all that it was done in a vision. And why may not the like be sup- posed here ?
{2d.) The second difficulty is about the sight of God. Certainly no man can see God in his essence ; for he is a spirit, and a spirit cannot be seen with bodily eyes. Nor can he be seen in the infinite excellency of his majesty ; for what is finite cannot comprehend what is infinite. But he may be seen in such a visible manifestation of his glory as he is pleased to represent to the view of the creature, both here and here- after. Thus here he may and hath often been seen. Therefore when it is said, ' He saw the glory of God,' you must understand so far as he can be seen by an human eye ; namely, by certain strictures and rays of his splendour and majesty, or such a brightness by which his divine glory is represented unto' us. So Luke ii. 9, ' The angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them ;' that is, the splendour occasioned by the presence of an angel. So in the apparition of an angel to Peter in prison : Acts xii. 7, ' The angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison.' So by this manifestation which God made of himself to Stephen, thereby is represented a glorious majesty, such as is described Exod. xxiv. 17,