The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-02-27
The SABBATH SCHOOL
international Lesson Comments For
March 2.
Subject: The Stonips Of Stephes, Acts VII, 81;
viii. z-GoIden Text Matt ", A-Mem.
ory Verses 50. -cemmeutary
on the Bays Lesson.

54 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 sawn
through, or asunder. A fgurative expires.
on him." They were filed with rage and
thirsted for his blood
! So. Being full" The Greek "being
| fulp' implies, not a sudden inspiration
but q, permanent state. The Holy
and more to their violent passions, and
were filled with a carnal fire, and indeed
with spirit from the bottomless pit, the
soul of this faithful witness was filled, by
the grace of God, with a heavenly fire.
Looked up" We would sec more heav'
enly visions il we would "look up" oft
tently. Their rawlings did not distract
him. Into heaven" The question has
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
Moses beheld it from the land of Egypt
! Heb. II ~, Isaiah from the temple lisa.
6; y, Ezekiel from the banks of the Che
bar (Ezek. /: u, Peter from the house top
| (Acts 10: IL, John from Patinos, Rev.
: a; |. ''And saw" There is no indefinite.
ness about this statement. THE glory of
/ Cod" Saw the Sheknah, for with. the
Jews the glory and the 'Sheknah" are
similar terms II 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
permitted to see Jesus triumphing in the
| flesh in which He had been cruciied. 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 lsee
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 and power.
So. Heavens opened" A fgurative ex-
preston denoting that he was permitted
| to see into heaven, as if the eye was per-
| mitted to penetrate the eternal world.
"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: "a. This would tend to exasperate
them still more. They are now told that
He whom they had cruci6ed 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
blasphemy. because he saw Jesus standing
| ~, fba ,i1ht hand nf Cod Fearful nrnOf
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
! ment In this case they did not wait to
take the legal course, but before any sem
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
out the camp. "Stoned him" The per-
son to be stoned was placed on an eleva'
tion twice the height of a man, from
whence with his hands bound he was
thrown down and then 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. II: 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.
.s They their saT here
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 proof
that it is proper to offer prayer to Jesus
Christ. This place affords a full proof Of
the immateriality of the soul, for he could
not have commended his spirit to Christ
had he believed that he had no spirit, or
in other words that his body and soul were
one and the same thing.
go. "Kneeed down." A good position
in which to pray OF to die. Cried" II
Stephen had not prayed the church would
not have had Paul LAY not" Weigh
not, reckon not, place it not in thy. bal
commends /. The soul to heaven. .. The
body to earth. 8. Friends to the divine
protection. A. Enemies to divine compass
sion. "To their charge" Comparing this
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;
ters spirit in its diyinest form. 'Fcll
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.
surrection of the people or the resentment
of the governor, they yentured to carry on
the persecution with increasing violence.
2. "Devout men" Pious Jews. "To 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
by the Sanhedrin, for public lamentation