The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-22
THE INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY-SCHooL LESSON.
First Quarter: Lesson VIII. Feoru-
arg %, 1902: Acts vi, 7-l5.
! The Arrest Of Stephen.

No &AitOSt "a
There were Jews Of the East ana Jews
IL the West in Jerusalem. The tormet
spoke the Aramaean Language, tne us
ter the Greek. Jews OF the East wer a.
proud of their local nearness to the seat
OF their religion while the Western Jews
were inclined to discount the accident
Of place. This national antagonism pc
came the unhappy legacy OF the cnr, IRIS
tian Church when n recruited It's con,
his .s cana the first blot on the radiant
picture. of the Apostolic Churcn IN e1e
fusalem. The Jews of the west pro-
tested that their claimants upon the com
mon fund did not receive ia'r p'oD''-
ton. -
But the very fact that there was such
n fund at an was the glory of the Churcn
The best current civilization had SHOWN
little sympathy and no organized help
fulness for the unfortunate. The SUI
fering was inconceivably great. IL seem,
ed to concrete itself in the person ana
estate of the widow. These were appan-
ingiy numerous because OF wars ana siav-
cry. They could do little or nothing Tor
their own relief because OF Oriental GUS
tom which secluded women.
In the midst Of this pitiful social con
dition. which reached to all classes. the
new and fragrant flower of Christian
charity bloomed radiantly. From the
humble beginning Of this daily minis
tration,' the religion Of Jesus has nlled
the world with houses OF mercy and good
Samaritans. The ruins OF Rome are
searched In vain for the foundations Of
an orphanage or hospital Christianity
alone created, organized, maintained re-
lief.
1t is intensely significant of the essen
tally human nature of the Church that
peevishness and clanishness should ap-
Dear in it. The Apostles were shrewd
snough to see that small faulttnding, I'M
checked, would grow to great strife. Their
action in the emergency was frank,
prompt and wise. A general conference
was called The twelve confessed them
selves unequal to the task Of acting as
generals and quartermasters simultane-
ously. and that partially may have been
shown by their semi-official deputies.
They requested the appointment OF off,
GERS who should attend exclusively to
the Temperatures of the Church. The
result was the institution of the office
and order Of deacon. Thus Providence
brought good out OF evil.
The non or bi or tri partisan Pigment
cut no figure in the appointment. From
the Greek names. it looks as If the whole
college of deacons was chosen from the
Hellenists. the aggrieved party. OF the
seven, only Philip and Stephen achieved
significant-"the crown" first Of deacons,
first of martyrs.
The Hebrew synagogue seems, from its
very origin, to have been as much of
religious debating club as place OF
worship. 1t was given over to inquiry
and discussion. Stephen, as he found
time amid the administrative duties of
his office. took hand in the synagogi-
cal "wrangles." The master spirits OF
dve synagogues Joined their forces against
him In vain. Chagrined by defeat, they
proposed to make way with the pestilent
debater by foul means-just as In Jesus
case. they suborned witnesses to fasten
the deadly crime OF blasphemy upon Ste
phen.
The Teachers Lantern!
Stephen shines a star Of the first mag
uitude in the constellation of the seven
deacons. He was undoubtedly an inn. =
vator: held views In advance of the apos-
ties Themselves, and was the forerunner
of St. Paul in declaring the abrugation
OF the law and of Jerusalem as the pivot
on which the Church should turn. This
was his natural Hellenist pull" He
was not so welded to Judaism as Peter
was. There Is probably a sense in which
the charge against him was true. No
doubt, the head and front of his offend
ing was that ne affirmed that Moses was
not to abide forever, a teacher upon
whose instruction no advance was ever