QUESTIONS ON LESSON IV.

WHAT did Ananias and Sapphira do with their possession ? What with the price of it?

Did they bring the whole price?

Were they required to sell the land, or to bring any part of the price to the apostles?

Which of the two came first to the apostles?

What did Peter say to him, and what followed?

When Sapphira came, what did Peter ask her, and what answer did she give?

What did Peter then say, and what followed?

What effect did the death of Ananias and Sapphira produce?

What did the apostles then do?

Were any persons angry, and who?
What did they do to the apostles?

How were they set at liberty?

What did the High Priest and Captain of the Temple then

do?

What did Peter answer to the High Priest?

What then did they propose to do?

Who prevented them?

Who was Gamaliel ?

What was the advice that he gave?

Did the rest follow it?

LESSON V.

Some discontent arises about the relief of the poor— seven persons are chosen to attend to that duty— Stephen, one of the seven, preaches and defends the truth with great power-he is assailed by the Jewish rulers, who put him on his trial for blasphemy-he makes his defence, but is interrupted, hurried out of the city, and stoned to death.

FROM ACTS VI. AND VII.

AND in those days, when the number of the disciples was increasing, there arose a murmuring

of the Grecians* against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve calling together to them the multitude of the disciples, said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of good repute, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Ni

*Grecians, Hebrews. The Grecians were not gentile Greeks, who would have been called, not Grecians, but Greeks; but Jews born among Greeks, and speaking the Greek language. There are two distinct words in the original; the one translated Greeks, signifying Gentile Greeks by nation; the other translated Grecians, signifying Jews who used the Greek language. The Hebrews seem to have been Jews born in Palestine speaking Hebrew. The Jews born in Palestine, were accustomed to regard themselves as superior to those who were born in foreign countries.

† 1 Tim. v. 1—16. The word widow originally signifying a woman whose husband had died, gradually became the name of an office (as the word elder also did) in consequence of widows being employed as deaconesses or catechists of the young females. The word, as appears from a passage in Cyril, came to be applied to women who had never been married, but who fulfilled the duties of the office.

Daily ministration. Daily distribution of food to those that required it; the complaint may have been without foundation.

Leave the word of God, &c. i. e. Be occupied with distributing temporal relief to the poor, instead of being occupied with preaching the truth of God, teaching the ignorant, and with prayer.

cholas a proselyte of Antioch.* Whom they set before the Apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Ĉilicia, and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke. Then they suborned men to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, and set up false witnesses, who said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against the holy place, and the law. For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

Then said the high priest, Are these things so? And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, Go forth from thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then

*All the names here enumerated are Greek, and not Hebrew, which seems to indicate that they were all of that party whose widows, it was alleged, had been neglected. It was a truly Christian mode of restoring confi dence, to assign at least a share of the duty to those who complained that it had been imperfectly and partially fulfilled.

*

going forth from the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Charran; and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him no inheritance in it, no not space to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him in possession, and to his seed after him; when as yet he had no child. And God spoke thus, that his seed should sojourn in a foreign land, and they should be brought into bondage, and afflicted four hundred years. And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage, will I judge, said God: and after that, shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham begot Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs. And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt, and all his house.

Now there came a famine over the whole land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. But Jacob having heard that there was corn in Egypt, sent out our fathers first. And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. But Joseph sent a message calling his father Jacob to him and all his kindred, seventy-five persons. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Eminor,+ the father of Sychem.

* Charran.-Haran. See Lesson x. No. 1, Old Testament. + Emmor.-Hamor. See Lesson xxii. No. 1, Old Testament.

But when the time drew nigh of the promise which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, till another king arose who knew not Joseph: He dealt artfully with our kindred, and afflicted our fathers, so that they cast out their infants, that they might not be preserved alive. In which time Moses was born, and was exceedingly beautiful, and was nourished in his father's house three months. And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in his words, and in deeds. And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them; but they understood not. And the next day he showed himself unto them as they were at strife, and would have restored them to peace, saying, Ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one another? But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who appointed thee a ruler and a jndge over us? Dost thou wish to kill me, as thou didst kill the Egyptian yesterday? Then Moses fled at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begot two sons. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him, in the desert of mount Sina, an angel of the Lord, in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and drawing near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God

* Angel.-Messenger. Some manifestation of God sent forth from the Divine presence, for the voice which spoke from the flame said, 'I am the God of Abraham,' &c.