The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-02-27
The SABBATH SCHOOL
International Lesson Comments For
March 2.
Subject: The stonins Of Stephen, Acts VII, 81;
viii. z-GoIdes Text, Matt ", H-Mem.
ory Verses, 50, ~ Commentary
on The Bays Lessoa.

a. "When they heard 1t is disputed
whether the speech was finished or not.
His abruptness in closing and the anger
of the Jews at that moment render it prob
able that he was interrupted. Cut to
the heart" Literally, they were sown
through, or asunder. A fgurative expires,
sion for being greatly enraged. "Gnashed
on him." They were filed with rage and
thrsted for his blood.
So. Being FULL" The Greek being
fulr' implies, not sudden inspiration
but a permanent state The Holy
and more to their violent passions, and
were filed with a carnal fire, and indeed
with a spirit from the bottomless pit, the
soul of this faithful witness was filed, by
the grace of God, with a heavenly fire.
Looked up" We would see more heav-
enly visions il we would "look up" oft
ener. "Steadfastly." Fixed his eyes in
ttently Their rawlings did not distract
been asked how he could see into heaven
from that council chamber, but we should
remember that the Spirit revealed to him
this scene in heaven. The eye of faith
can see heaven from any spot on earth.
Moses lbeheld it from the land OF Egypt
(Heb. IL: 2O, Isaiah from the temple lisa
8: ~, Ezekiel from the banks of the Che
.
(Acts 10: ~, John from Patmos, Rev
4: |. "And saw" There is no indefinite.
ness about this statement. The glory OF
God" Saw the Sheknah, for with the
Jews the glory" and the "Shekinah' are
similar terms. 1t was some visible mani
festation of the divine splendor, such as
Moses saw on Horeb and Ezekiel at Che
bar. 1t first filed the tabernacle and af-
terward the temple, and shone round the
shepherds, and appeared to the apostles
upon Hermon. "And Jesus" He was
permitted to see Jesus triumphing in the
flesh in which He had been crucified. He
saw Jesus 'in His official character as
mediator between God and man." Stand.
ing" In other places Jesus is represented
as sitting on the right hand of God (see
Matt &c; 64), but here Stephen sees Him
standing. He arose to show the great in
terest with which He watched His dis.
tressed servant and to pour glory and
blessing into his soul until it shone out
from his very countenance. "The right
hand" Christ was exalted to a place Of
honor aud power.
So. ''Heavens opened" A fgurative ex-
preston denoting that he was permitted
to see into heaven, as if the eye was per-
"Son Of man." This is the only time that
our Lord is by human lips called the Son
| of man after His ascension. And why
| here? Stephen speaking by the Spirit is
| led to repeat the very words in which
| Jesus Himself, before this same council,
had foretold His glorifcation. See Matt.
| 26: Ga. This would tend to exasperate
them still more. They are now told that
He whom they had crucifed was exalted
to the right hand Of God.
81. "Cried out" Among other things,
perhaps, that he should be silent or that
| he should be put to death. stopped their
ears" As a proof that he had uttered
L L.. ..Na
on the right hand of God. Fearful proof
against them; for if Jesus was at the right
hand of God then they had murdered an
innocent person, and Gods justice must
speedily avenge His death "And rushed
upon him" (R. W This was the act of a
mob. Under the Reman laws the Jews
had no authority to inflict capital punish
! rnent In this case they did not wait to
! take the legal course, but before any SEN
| tence was pronounced rushed him to his
| death.
5S "Out of the city" According to the
law OF Moses. Lev. "a: IA. The person to
be stoned was required to be carried with
son to be stoned was placed on an eleva'
tion twice the height of man, from
| whence with his hands bound he was
| thrown down and then a stone as much
as two men could carry was rolled down
upon him by the witnesses, after which all
the people present cast stones upon him
| IAN old tradition places the scene outside
the Damascus gate, near where Christ was
| crucifed THE witnesses" The false
! witnesses who had accused Stephen OF
| blasphemy. Laid down their clothes.
| According to Moses law (Deut. IL 6, y
! the witnesses were required to cast the
,irst stone, probably to prevent any care
less or unjust shedding of blood, and be-
! fore they entered upon their murderous
work they laid off their outer garments
| !"At-feet." They put their garments here
for safe keeping. "NNhose name was Saul =
This is the first mention of the one who
was afterward the great apostle of the
| Gentiles
SO. "Receive my spirit" They stoned
him while he was praying. This p the
| identical prayer that Christ Himself had
| offered on the cross. Here is clear proot
| that it is proper to offer prayer to jesus
Christ. This place affords full proof o.
| the immateriality OF the soul, for he coulc
| not have commended his spirit to Christ
had he believed that he had no spirit. oi
in other words that his body and soul were
1 one and the same thing.
go. "Kneeled down" A good position
in which. to pray OF to die. Cried" !!
Stephen had not prayed the church would
not have had Paul. LAY not" Wegl
ance against them. The best will and ties
lament of the Christian is that which
commends /. The soul to heaven. 2. The
body to earth. 8. Friends to the divine
| protection. L. Enemies to divine compass
sion "To their charge" Comparing thi:
with nearly the same request OF his dying
Lord it will be seen how very richly this
martyr of Jesus had drunk into his Mas
| ter's spirit in its divinest form. ''Fel
asleep" He died. ''But sleep implies an
awakening" His spirit was welcomed
! into heaven and his body sleeps until the
| resurrection.
/. "Saul was consenting." So terrible
was the hatred which this man bore to
Christ and His followers that he delighted
in their destruction. "A great pefsecu
| ton" As the rulers had caused the
death of Stephen, without exciting an in
surrecton of the people or the resentment
of the governor, they yentured to carry on
the persecution with increasing violence.
| q "Devout men" Pious Jews. "ro his
burial" They did not hesitate to give an
honorable burial to a man of whose limo
cence and godliness they were convinced
"Great lamentation." They engaged in a
solemn mourning for him. This is evi
| dence that Stephen was not condemned
| b,r tha Sanhadrin for nuhlin lamanta ta fio