The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-08-24
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
AUGUST %.
Lesson Text: The First Christian
Martyr" Acts vii. 54-60; viii,
1-4-Golden Text: Acts
vii, 6O-Commentary.

81. "When they heard these things they
were cut to the heart and they gnashed on
him with their teeth" The subject Of the
rage Of the council at this, time was
Stephen, one of the seven who were chosen
to serve tables, in or Ter that the apostles
might give themselves wnoly to the word
and prayer wi, "a. But Stephen was 80
full Of the Holy Spirit and faith and power
that God wrought great wonders and
miracles by him This led to his being
falsely accused and brought before the;
council, in whose presence he preached the
sermon recorded in this chapter. he had
just accused them Of being the betrayers
and murderers of the Just One, and it was
this that cut them and made them so
S.. But he being full Of the Holy Ghost,
looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw
the glory OF God, and Jesus standing on the
right hand of God" He saw not their rage,
but he did see Jesus. The holy Spirit re-
veals Jesus and His grace and glory to the
soul that trusts in Him and relies upon Him,
and enables the believers to be as one who is
deaf to those that are angry because Of his
testimony John xvi, IA; Ps x11viii. 2,
~. To look up is better than to look with
in or around. for looking within makes one
miserable and looking around tends to dis
one to run with patience the race set before
us. See Isa. XII, 10: R. ", margin, and
Heb. Iii, 2. Jesus on the cross for US gives
eternal salvation, but Jesus at the right
hand Of God speaks Of victory over all enc
miles, Heb. H., 12; Rev. l.. IS. On stead
fastness see Cor xv., s.; II Chron- xx.,
20 l. c.; Isa. vii, 9.
E6. "And said, Behold l see the heavens
opened, and the Son OF Man standing on the
right hand OF God" Son Of Man" Is q
tide that Jesus often used of Himself; it Is
found over eighty times in the Gospels, but
elsewhere in the New Testament only here
and in Heb. H., 6; Rev. l., 13; xiv, IA. It Is
suggestive not only of Jesus as perfect
man, but also Of His complete dominion over
the whole earth, as will be seen by q COM
parison of Ps. viii, and Heb. II. It Is found
ninety times in the prophecy o: Ezekiel
"Heaven opened" Is found just seven times
in the Bible (Ezsk. J.; Math. iii, 16; John L,
81; Acts vii, 56 <, IL; Rev. iv., l; XIX,
81. 'Then they cried ont with loud
him with one accord" Contrast stopping
ones ears to that which Is evil, as In Ps.
1x1iii., 10, and to that which is good, as In
this case. Compare Math. xiii. Is. Let
our prayer be, "Open Thou mine eyes"
.Cause me to hear Ps. cxix., 18; cxlih., 81.
Contrast the lone accord" OF the wicked, as
here. and the lone accord" Of the righteous
in Acts H., 1.
So. "And cast him out Of the city and
stoned him, and the witnesses laid down
their clothes at a young mans feet, whose
name was Saul" They Judged him to be
au,Sy asbousht t. they were obeying the law. while
they themselves were the guilty ones, but
they were blinded by uubelief. Jesus bad
forsuarned His followers that they might
expect this very treatment QMath. Z. 70;
John xvi, q. As to Saul, he may possibly
have Thought of this very day years after
ward when he himself was being stoned for
Jesus sake tActs xiv, 19.
50. .And they stoned Stephen, calling upon
God, and saying, Lord Jesus receive my
spirit" When Jesus was dying DE saaa,
' Father, unto Thine hands I commend MY
spirit luke xiii, 46; PS. xxi, 81. THIS
does not look like the nonexistence on the
person between death and resurrscaon, OF
the sleep Of the soul as some teach. II any one
would be established IS to the consciousness
and joy Of the souls of believers apart from
the body, let him read and receive Luke
xvi, %; xiii, 43; II Cor. ", q; Pnu, i,
q, Is; Rev. vi, gil. -,
go. tAnd he kneeled down and cried with
a loud voice, Lord, Lay not this sin to their
charge. And when he had said this he lei!
aslsspn Like his adorable Master, he prayed
for his murdsrers Luke xiii, ~. Our In
instructions are 'hove your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them which despite
fully use you and persecute you" tAatn. ",
A.. This is impossible to the natural man,
but if We are born from above, IL We have
the new heart and the new Spirit John Ill,
z, margin; Eek. xxxH., 26. He In us can
do as BE old in Jesus and stephen. One OF
the best daily notices for the Christian ID
mot 1, but Christ who iveth In me" ofal.
ID. 20.
Viii, l. '.And Saul was consenting unto
his DEATH" Hear his own testimony long
after as be prayed to the Lord. when the
blood OF Thy martyr Stephen was shed also
was standing by and consented unto ~ nus
death and kept the raiment OF them tnAt
slew hinar lActs xii, 20.
"And at that time there was great per.
secution against the church, which was az
Jerusalem, and they were all scattered
abroad thr roughout tho regions OF Judea and
Samaria, except the apostles" Tho COM
naand was to sGo unto all tho world" ITO
be His witnesses unto the uttermost part OF
the EARTH mark xvi, Is; Acts l.. 81, but up
to this time they seem to have confined thslr
testim eny to Jerusalem, hence this persScu-
ton permitted by God to cause them more
fully to obey His command.
@" "And devout men carried Stepnen 70
his burial and made great lamentatlon over
hin.n Stephen was with his Lord absent
from the body, present vita the Lord, ous
his hody was asleep, even as Jesus said OF
Tevar11s when speaking Of his death, our
friend Lazarus sleepeth" John H. lis.
There was no occasion to lament for Stepnen,
for to him it was a great gain, but IL seemed
that the church could i'll afford to lose sucn
g. "As for Saul. he made havoc OF the
church. entering into every house. ano naii-
ing men and women, commltteo tnem w
prison" Beyond measure hspersecuGed tne
Church and wasted it. being exceedingly
mad AGAINST the Christians n3al. l.. -; Acts
rIvi 1O. 1D. He little thought tnat ne
was ail the while fighting against GOD as
his own teacher, Gamaliel, had said tchaP-
Tor v. 39l. He did not know, though ne az :
tervard learned it, that when he toucned
Shrst;,n he touched the Lord Himself (Acts
IL. 5; Zech. H., 81: ,
d Therefore they that were scateereo
abroad went everywhere preaching tne
word /" Observe that these were not ene
APOSTLES who went every where evangenzlne
verse II Lut all believers. 1t should oe SO
now that all believers everywhere IN the
Office and the store in the mine and on Gne
tam ar home ami abroad, should be able
and reany to tell sp other OF Jesus ana ais
love- His humiliatio Il. death, resurrestlon'
1ntercession, return kingdom and goiyi,
Then would He soon be made known III an
the world and HIS kingdom come.-LeSSon