Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-01-20
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Notes Of q Disceurss Delivered LAST
Nfshs By new. Dr. McChssney-The
PES Pictures OF Holy Within EARLY
ChuvcA scsne-M0Aern Socialism ana
the True Ariicle-The True ana tne
False IN Devotion.
Rev. DR.. MeChseney At Trinity N. =.
Church last evening preached on the sub
ject except Back Part of the Price," text,
Acts vi. H. Said. the preacher: What
grand pen pictures this new testament CON-
tsins and how often too, human infrmity,
depravity and ain figure in the events de-
pictsd. Even 10 the last supper scene Ju-
das was there. There was the scene in
Gethesemane, but the disciples, they were
asleep There at the climax Of self-sacridcs
even there was wagging Of heads. At tho
pentecostal scene, some Knocked.
"Again We have picture of the early
church. What care for the poor-and the
percentage of the poor was large-what d.
vino charity, consenting to have all things
common, selling their goods, their resi-
estate and aurrendering all to Q common re-
lief fund. This was not socialism; II was
result of the derivation of Caristian charity,
In the light of which, . modern charity ball,
looks about az Ananias and Sophia look
when compared with the apostles and those
holy men and women who kept back moth.
ing from their Lord. Let us draw near to
abe New Testament picture.
SIT IL prayer scene. While the apostles
pray; the place in shaken. Ours is religion
Of divine power. That baptism OF power
lifts the disciples above their fears and they
declare the word with boldness. And they
were of one heart and me soul. Under this
fresh impulse, self-interest is forgotten and
no man rose up to talk loudly about his own
rights. In material substance they made
common cause. It was inspired, free, benz
evidence.
The Socialism Of to-day has little to re-
mind MS of this New Testament picture ex-
cept by contrast. Behold the Now Testa-
ment church keeping back nothing. In the
foreground of that picture is Barnabas, the
son Of consolation. Having land, he sold 1t,
and laid the proceeds at the Apostles feet
In the lower corner Of that picture you recog-
They wanted to stand well with the church,
but were not willing to pay the price. An
anias means "Given by Jehovah" Saphira
l-means Beautiful" It may mean physical
beauty-perhaps she prlded herself upon it..
1t may have been one of the sources of her
great temptation.
They sold their land and pretended to sur
render all, but Except back part of the
price,"
No one had required them to sell their all.
It was purely of their own motion. But to
stimulate that divine charity was to offer to
tho sovereignty of the skies the incense of
falsehood Pretending to donate their eub-
stance to Christ and his cause, they kept back
part for themselves.
| A man can tell q fslsehood In action az
we'll as in speech. Ananias and Saphira de.
liberately agreed to act a falsehood: That was
their first act In their little play. The tragedy
came later Oh. how badly that picture Of
charity IL married.
1t cannot be that they dropped to that
level all at once. When Gods truth had been
searching their hearts they must have evaded
| it. They were living where every day their
| eyes could gaze upon some fresh memorials
| of redemption. They were in sight of the
mount of ascension from which a. he arose
the Christ had Let his bensdiotions drop upon
his disciples. surrounded also by the tokens
of the wonderful baptism of divine power.
Thousands converted in their presence, the
church made divinely courageous; why then
did not Ananias and Sapphire share that
spiritual endowment Perhaps they only
made an ordinary profession of religion.
Perhaps they didn't believe in revivals where
LAOCk0Io WOuiu soy euhb su0y ~ AikSO VIII
new wine. They chose to occupy middle
ground and not expect or pray for the holy
baptism of the spirit. Alas, another bap
tism was coming to theml
In that picture stands Peter. He ia i'm.
pulsive. He has not forgotten his OWE
weakness, but he has never been a trider
He knows that since the descent of the
spirit the church has begun new cycle Of
experience, and Peter knows that to tempt
| he Ho1v Qv,irfk n 70 dAskh uA
ventures within the awful circuit of that con
Stunning file never returns to tell the dimen.
sions of bis disaster. Peter fixes his eyel
upon Ananias and confronts him with sig.
ni6oant "Whya"
Why did you surrender the sovereignty o.
your own will to the dark Sovereignty Of tn,
pita Why act falsehood upon the thresh.
hold Of the precincts of the Holy Spirit
when the very foundations under your fee
have 10 recently trembled on account of thu
stirring of His awful power.
Why hast tno1 conceived this In thin,
heart2 Thou hast not lied unto man, bu
unto God--to do that IL to croes the dead line
Anauias had challenged the sovereignty o
the Holy Spirit and the challenge was 40
cspted and he dropped SO dead that Their
was not . spark left.
That was the first recorded death in tn
New Testament Church after Pentecost. Il
was dead and buried In lees than three hour
from the time when he tempted God.
The similar end of Saphira complete
the tragedy 60 full of warning. She to
fell, not in swoon, or trance. She ha
come within the circle of that invisible rus
of Godhesd power, which means death
those who tempt God.
This tragedy was succeeded by whole
some fear which spread in every direction
For time no one Joined the church. Their
; Ia an element of peril whom multitudes rus
into the church, for the unworthy como Wit
the rest Some come who are ready to temp
God and take the consequences. May 1t nc
be trne that the wholesome fear which the
arrested the flow of converts into the churc
.. was the salvation of the church. II saved til
, church of that period from religion of ap
pearances. When that lull ceased and til
next army of converts came, they came in o
, the old Apostolic basis Of actual surrende
to God.
The time came whom the church was aeai
90 busy taking care OF converts that Ananis
, and Sapphire were only thought of - iuspir
ing Q wholesome fear.
Our subject gives ~ some Just eonceptio
of sin. The wages of sin II death. Whe
and whore did any man learn to regard ri
a. triHel In the light of our subject wha
do you say of . charity ball-where appetite
not be defined are coddled-where extrava
ganos places itself on exhibition and pleasur
seeking and self indulgence are the order, mo
Of the day but Of the night What do yc
think OF advertising such q performance q
being inspired by charitya You shall say, 70
Twill. not. need not say whether that ID act
ing a falsehood before God and worl,
which needs entire conservation, az mucl
now, As in the days of the Apostles.
II Ia we'll to come back to the significanc
of baptism and of the Christian profession
Does IL not denote the surrender Of our per
sonality and belongings to Goda ask the,
can any man or woman keep back any par
Of the price and prospsri
Funeral Of Jeremiah A. bishop.
The funeral Of the late Jeremiah A
Bishop was held al his late residence, o.
George street, at $50 Saturday afternoon
The Episcopal service was read by the Rev
Mr.. Nichols Of Trinity church, assisted b,
the Rev. Mr.. Lines of st. Paul's church
The reading of the hymn "Just % Am" wa
substituted for music. The rooms wsr
klled with prominent people who had init
mately known the deceased. Among then
were: Ex- Governor James e. English, Lieu
tenant Governor Samuel 4. Merwin, Ezekie
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