[i] the Spirit] In this verse the king's MS. reads thus, Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον ἐπίπεσιν ἐπὶ τὸν Εὐνοῦχον, ἄγγελος δὲ Κυρίου ἤρπασε τὸν Φίλιππον, The Holy Ghost fell upon the eunuch, and the angel of the Lord caught, or snatched, away Philip. [i] stiffnecked] Σκληροτράχηλοι proverbially signifies undisciplinable, foolish people; according to a rule in physiognomy, that those that have necks that do not easily bend are such: so saith Adamantius Physiog. l. 2. c. 26, σκληροτράχηλοι, ἀμαθεῖς, "hard-necked persons are indocile and ignorant;" and again, τισὶ διὰ μωρίαν γίνονται ἀκλινεῖς τράχηλοι, "some men have necks that will not bend, and this is an argument of folly." But I suppose the meaning of St. Stephen is not to be fetched from this notation of the word, but from the metaphor of beasts, oxen, &c., that till they be disciplined and accustomed to the yoke, are not willing or patient to bend down to it. And so hard or stiffnecked signifies no more than refractory, disobedient, undisciplinable, and so it is here set to denote them that do always resist the Holy Ghost, in all God's methods toward them walk contrary to him. And he proclaimed his vision, saying, Behold— 57, 58. And they dealt with him by the judgment of zeal, used among the Jews against those that departed from the Jewish (and set up any new) worship; and first cast him out of the gates of the city, then stoned him; and they that brought evidence against him, ch. vi. 13, and were therefore by law to throw the first stone at him, and are therefore called executioners, ch. xxii. 2, put off their clothes to fit themselves for their work; and a young man called Saul undertook to look to their clothes, who consequently had a hand in the stoning of him, ch. viii. 1. And all the time that they cast stones he continued in prayer to God, and at the last concluded in these words, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. * gave up the ghost. ### CHAP. VIII.