The National tribune., 1892-08-04

I = l.
| 2. Their yielding. H.
G 8. Causes g. Covetousness. 1 Ii, g:
| ~ 8, TO-
q. Distrust Of Providence
| 8 Fl. On God Punished them.
| = g On liars. Struck dead.
| 9. Effects 3. On church at Jesusalem.
Fear. II.
| a. On US. Warning.
| 10. Lessons. See below.
| Notes on analysis.
| l. We do not know that wives were Obliged
to sign deeds. If they did so in Palestine.
| Sapphire Joined in giving the title, thus show
| ing disposition to help the cause. The two
acted tremendously, and far are worthy
| examples for married couples to follow. They
| may both have been sincere in the start, but
may have yielded to temptation when the
time came for putting the money in the Apos-
| tolc treasury.
g The hypocrtic feature seems prominent;
! the seeking credit not due; the pretending to
| give up all their possessions for the Church.
| Cicero says:
| "Of all kinds of iniquity. none is more aggrar
waited than that of those who while they are prac-
ticing the greatest deception do II 30 as TO make
| themselves appear ms good men,
DIR. J. A. Alexander says
| at is plain that the pre-concert conspiracy
| was viewed by the Apostle ms n serious aggrava-
ton of the sin committed; not only because each
| and encouraging the other. but because this pre-
| vious agreement showed the sin to be deliberate
and presumptuous and cut off all excuse or paii1ar
ton that ight otherwise have been derived from
| haste. ignorance or reconsideration"
Further. he says:
| 1.-THE sin itself is here described that Of
tempting God. trying His patience. or putting to
the test and thereby i'm piously questioning. not
| merely His 0mnscence, but his veracity and power
| to punish"
| DR. Abbott has the following:
| There Is no intimaton that Ananias had d.
| recty uttered fasehood, did his wife (V. 81;
| lie in action may be as criminal rs q spoken lie.
| They had lied TO the Holy Ghost. not merely be-
cause they had lied to the Church. which was the
body of Christ, the temple of God, and filed with
| the Holy Ghost 10 the Apostles, who were in
| spired by the Holy Ghost and whose divine power
| Of insight they ignored but because the offering
was made not to the Apostles nor to the Church;
/ but to God and the thus direct faIsehood
| addressed TO Him"
| Dr. Plnmtree says:
"The mere act of keeping back would not in
| Itself have been sinful. The money was his own
to give, the whole or part. V A. But the formal
acted lie. The part was offered AZ II 1t were the
whole. The word for kept back is rendered
purloining in Titus, 2: 10. and always carries Win
| it the idea of sieaithy and dishonest appropria-
| ton"
| 6. DIR. Lange remarks:
1T was not the Apostle, but God who executed
| the Judgment. The whole event must be regarded
as the result, of direct Divine interp0sition, by
which speedy and terrible punishment was in
| fcted."
T. An unnamed writer concludes thus:
| ut seems impossible to avoid the solemn con.
cIusion that these two died the fool dieth and
went before their Maker with lie in their right
hand"
g. DIR. Benson meets difficulty likely to
| awaken much discussion:
"such severity in the beginning Of Christianity
was highly proper, in order to prevent any oc-
casion for like punshments for the time to come.
| Thus Cain the first murderer, was most signaiiy
punished by the immediate hand OF God; thus,
| upon the erecting of Gods temporal Kingdom
among the Jews, Nadab and Abihu were struck
dead for offering strange fire before the Lord and
Korah and his company were swallowed up alive
by the earth for opposing Moses. the faithful SER
want of the Lord and lastly Uzzah, for touching
| Judgment when the Kingdom was going TO be
established in the house of David to teach Israel
a reverence for God and divine things"
6. Burial.
Calmet can help US. He wrote as follows:
"There was nothing determined particularly in
the law as to the place of buryng the dead There
were sepulehres in town and country, by the high
WAYS in gardens and on mountains; those belong
ing to the Kings of Judah were in Jerusalem and
| the King'a gardens. Ezekiel intimates that they
| were dug under the mountain on which the temple
stood since God says that in future this holy
| mountnin should not be polluted with the dead
of A rimathea provided for himself was in his gar
den; that of Rachel was adjacent to the highway
from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. IL IS aflrmed that
the sepulchre Of the inhabitants of Jerusalem were
| in the valley OF the kedron.
DR.. Abbott comments thus:
"!nterments were outside the city walls; to take
the corpse the burial place and inter 1t would
| therefore occupy three hours, and not more than
that as no grave would have to be dug, entomb-
ment being generally in caves"
Prof Lumby states:
"In hot climates burial must needs follow
| quickly after death. Note the brief time which
Jehu allowed pass after JezebePs death e KS,
| 9: 34) before he gave orders for her burial"
l. Do not yield to temptations of Satan. q
Cor, :13) Christ helps us against evil
prom ptings Heb, 2: ID; 4 49, Resist the
devil (St James, 4:7.) We are not respons-
ible for temptation, but for assent
9 Sin will out (Nu., 80 :23; Ps., 80: 8: 1879:
s-12: Eco, ~: IA; Ro., 2 49, Cor, 4: 81 Do
not dare to tempt God. (Acts, s.: 81 Do not
take courage in sin because not punished at
once (Ecc., 8: H. God knows all. (Jer.,
| 90 24.)
8 Never misrepresent (Ex, 90: 16; Ecc'us,
| 90: 24-26; Eph., A: 25; Col, 3: 81
d. Pay vows. (Ps 81: 58.)
s. Never appear to be more nor different
| from what you are. Away from and with hy
pocrisy. Job, 81 13; 49, 16; Is: "a; 90 5;
| Sc 10; St. Mt, Us; st. Mark, IL: Is; st.
Luke, II A; IL: 1; I'll, 4:2)
g. Away from covetousness.( st. Luke, 12
| Z Rebuke sin. 4. SO Peter chided Simon,
the sorcerer (8:21.l So Christ denounced
the hypocrites. (st. Mt, 1870
g. Do not join others in wrong e, 81
g. When we become Christians we consecrate
| all to Christ. 1t is not duty as a rule to sell
our possessions, but we must use them to the
advantage of Christ's cause. Do not keep back
a part Entire conservation does not necessi-
tate sale of property. but its constant use with
reference to the needs of the Church In its
varied lines of work.
Don't Tobacco Spit Your Life Away
Is the startling truthful title of little book just
received telling all about Notobac, the ponderJll