(I envision him, beaten, bloodied with garments torn like Christ, with glowing face of Moses, singing praises as the Free Slaves marched him outside of the walls of the city.)

Psalm of Stephen: The Temple of Man

¹ What world might men so maketh to contain Thee,

for Thou art more than all earth should bear!

Selah!

_ _² Should we men of dust gather together sun and moon and stars,

we could not build Thou a worthy dwelling!

³ Yet here we doth, in vain, attempt to house Thee in temple of stone and bitumen! May Thy mercy find us!

⁴ But Thou, oh LORD, hath built for Thineself a dwelling which Thou hath foretold! A temple Thou see fit!

⁵ Whence Thou breathed Thy Spirit into Adam, our father, Thy were showing us we shalt be Thy home!

⁶ Glory! What are we to contain Thou, oh Christ Jesus? What are men that Thou hath indwelled Thy beloved?

Selah!

_ _⁷_ _In all of Thy creation, Thou saw nothing more loved than us! Here we shalt be Thy home! And Thy shalt be our home forever!

⁸ Lo’ we hath every hour forsaken Thy ways, and no man shalt stand blameless apart from Thy blood and forgiveness—— Thou rest in us!

⁹ Who then shalt taketh from me? What can they taketh that Thou shalt not restore?

¹⁰ I am Job, broken by the darkness, and in Thy light I will yet standeth—— even with Thou in the mightiest of winds!

¹¹ Though I am broken and mine bones scattered, Thou shalt gather me!

¹² Though I am utterly destroyed, Thou shalt see me from mine death! For Thee shalt never cease, and liveth here in me!

¹³ What is pain?

I have nothing of it!

¹⁴ What is death?

A word which I hath forgotten!

¹⁵ What is life?

Except that into Thine hands I now marcheth!

¹⁶ But that each man would see! Oh Father, I prayeth to Thee!

For these who seek to take mine life, deliver me to Thee!

Selah!