The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VII, FIRST QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. Fl.

Toxt OF the Lesson, Acts vi S-15; vii, "a 60.
Memory Verses, $3.50 - Golden Text,
Rev. II, iO-Commentary by the Rev. ID.
M. stearns.
.. And Stephen, full Of faith and pow
er, did great wonders and miracles among
the people" AS days passed on and tho
disciples Increased, satan Increased his zeal
In disturbing the peace. There Is muir
muring because some thought they were
neglected In the daily ministration This
leads to the appointment of committee
OF seven Spirit filed men to see specially
to the distribution of aims, leaving the
others free to give themselves TO the word
and prayer. The seven were set apart by
prayer and the laying on of hands. Dis
ciples multiplied greatly, and many priests
believed. Stephen, full of faith and Of
the Holy Spirit, content to do the humble
work OF the committee, was led by the
Spirit into greater things, for the humble
shall be exalted
o, TO- And they were not able to resist
the wisdom and tho Spirit by which He
spake. This was In accordance with the
promise of the Lord. ~ will give you a
mouth and wisdom which all your adver-
saries shall not be able to gainsay nor re-
sist" duke xxi, 15) There is power in
the word of God when spoken by the Spirit
OF God, even through very weak earthen
vessel which can be accounted for only by
the fact that God Is in His word, and it is
the same word by which He made tho
heavens and all their host Cps. xxxiii, 81.
His word Is like fire and hammer tn
break rocks in pieces. Ho that hath 1t, let
him speak it faithfully DER xxxiii, 2S,
| 29).
| H. IL. 1--WE have heard him speak BIAS
| phemous words against Moses and against
| God. " The things that are farthest from
our thoughts and that we would be most
unlikely to be guilty of are just those
which the devil through his agents Is apt
! to accuse us Of Think of his calling
| Christ glutton, and of his accusing Him
Of being in league with himself, and Of
| His being crucified as an evildoer. Imagine
| Stephen, filled with the Spirit of God, be-
| ing guilty of disappearing God. Yet
! Christ was accused Of the same When
such treatment comes our way, let us bo
thankful for fellowship with Christ Il.
Pet ii, 20).
10, H. Eve have heard him say that
this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this
place" Such was some Of the testimony
which the false witnesses bore against
Stephen. The false witnesses said Of
Christ that He said He was able to destroy
the temple of God and build it in three
| days (Math. XVI, CD.
To- And all that sat in the council,
looking steadfastly on him, saw his face
as 1t had been tho face of an angel. His
Lord was with him and in him, and made
something Of His glory to be seen in him.
Perhaps it was somewhat as when the face
of Moses so shone that the people could
not look upon him (Ex. xxziv, 80, 35).
Chapter VIII Oh "When they heard these
things, they were cut to tho heart, auo
they gnashed on him with their teeth. '
When the false witnesses made their false
accusation, the high priest said to Stephen
care these things so?" (vii, u. In reply
to this he began at the appearance OF Coz
to Abraham and traced the goodness o
God to Israel down to David and Solomon
then made the nation guilty of the perse
cution of the prophets, and of the murde
of Christ, and of not keeping the law o
God. This cut them and led to thci
gnashing their teeth at stephen.
80. "But he, being full of the Hol.
Ghost, looked up steadfastly into HEAVIER
and saw the glory of God and Jesus stand
ing on the right hand of God. " Thus h
was unmoved by their anger ana heede'
not their gnashing teeth. The way
peace is to see Jesus only and always
Look steadfastly upward and never within
nor around. Sec Isa. xii, 10, X. V. mar
gin. Jesus at Gods right hand for us
and the glory which awaits us are enough
} to lift us above all the things we see
Sc. "And said, Behold see the heaven
opened and the Son of Man standing OF
the right hand of God Heaven opene'
always shows us Christ or His churc
either in glory or tribulation. Tho phras
Ia found only seven times in Scripture, TIL
! other six places being in the. following
chapters: Eek /, Math. iii, John l, Act
x. Rev. iv and xix. We are saved by he
holding Jesus Christ as the Lamb of CO.
taking away our sins. We run with pa
! thence and grow in grace only as we loo
constantly to Him. and when we SEQ Hir
as He is we shall then be forever like Hin
John /, 30; Heb. xii, 1, 2; III Cor. Ill, is
, John iii, 81.
81. IS 'And the witnesses laid dow
their clothes at young mans feet, who's
name was Saul" This Is our first intro
duction to one who figures so largely Il
the rest of this book and In most of tn
epistles to the churches. How little h
, dreamed that day as he minded the clothe
of those who stoned Stephen that he woul
ever be n most devoted follower OF Hin
whom Stephen said he saw at Gods RICH
: hand! In after days he must often hav
] Thought of this day and its events. Go
| had a plan for him to be revealed In du
time. See Isa. XVI, 9, 10; Gal. l, 10, IL
In His own way and in His own time CO.
humbled Saul and brought him to Him
self Doubtless Stephens testimony ha
something to DO with 1t.
80. And they stoned Stephen, callin
upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receiv
my spirit" In Ps. XXI, D, it Is written
Into thine hand / commit my spirit
These very words said jesus to His tatne
when Ho died on Calvary, and simila
words says Stephen as he lies. 1t is asked
, Where Is the spirit after DEATH Jesu:
|, Spirit-that is Jesus Himself out OF Tn
body-was with the Father stephen
spirit-that il, stephen himself out OF M
body-was with the Lord Jesus in glory
Jesus taught in Luke xvi, 22-2S, the con
scious existence of these who pass out G
the body by death. The samo Is cieari
taught in Rev. vi, oil, and In PM. l. II
28; III Cor. v, 8. The body sleeps, but nc
the soul. The nonexistence of perso