Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-08-11

AcssoM ana WMoro ~ may ne 0uuM--A
Learned and Concise Review q shs
same. asses
Ahanias and bapphira.
The lesson for Sunday, Aug. IA, may
be found In Acts 5:-1-l1.
INTRODUCTORY.
Have you frowned at this swift pun
| ishment and called Il severe? Does IL
seem TO you that God should have mer-
cifully passed over the faIsehood as q
piece OF fortuitous dereliction2 That
| would not have been mercy. 1t would
have been worse cruelty to the race.
Here was a lie. The greatest curse,
next to unbelief, is insincerity, first to-
ward God, and then toward man. IL
undermines and corrupts. See France
to-day; the atmosphere Is that of false
hood. Happy for this church that such
an insidious disease were plucked out
by the roots at the very start. And SO
real piety to-day means, plainly, truth.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
Ananias. Meaning, given of God.
The name Goes not save.-Sapphira
From the name Of the precious stone,
| sapphire .-Possession Applied here
! to real estate. The word signifies that
it was. as Peter says, their very owA.
The same word used of the rich young
man, Matt. 10: ~, ("great posses
sions").
Kept back part, or set apart from it.
far too frequent mode OF deception.-
Prlvy to It,. Literally, knowing along
with him."A certain part As AZ It
were the whole.
Hath Satan filled2 Filled with the
spirit OF evil rather than filled with the
Holy Spirit.-To lie, or deceive. Sa-
tan's filling Is for falsehood and decep-
| ton. He possesses souls still.
In thine own power, or right, with
privilege of disposing Of, as he chose.
Conceived this thing in thine heart.
Greek: Set, or settled this thing in
thine heart. He was punished for what
his heart determined to do.
Gave up the ghost, or breathed out; as
we say, expired.
The young men. Greek, younger.
Possibly company somewhat like the
| Old Testament sons OF the prophets,
students of the word.
Not knowing what was done.-The
affair was semi private; certainly not
notorious, or she would have heard of 1t
inside OF three hours. ?
The land or field-sold, literally
rendered up.--It was a clear case OF
| falsehood. a 'fiakssas r. n
| Agreed enthusiastically sound
ed together. From this, comes our
ws gtls SiS%RRhogxTse narrative Sss%1nrstvs is re-
markably concise and strikingly real
listic.
Great fear.-A wholesome awe as
respects him with whom we have to do.
and upon as many as heard these
| things effect on the outside
world; so always.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
A certain man named Ananias.-
Yes. and there was a certain man named
Judas, and certain man named Simon
Magus. Where good is, evil also creeps
In. The vile serpent got into sweet
| Eden. Moreover, there was a certain
sin stained passage in Jacob life, and
even in the life of Abraham, certainly In
that Of David. Peter also needed more
than once 10 be reprOved likewise
Thomas, and the SONS " Zebedee. Gods
book tells the plain, unvarnished truth.
1t was wrought out of some other spirit
than mans.
Why hath Satan filed thy heart to lie?
OF course; Satan Is liar from.the be-
ginning and the father Of lies. He first
comes and by lying gains entrance into
the citadel of the soul. Once there he
poisoned all the FOUNTAIN, anu ln6
streams that flow forth are all vitiated
by his presence. When once he fills the
heart it is one great unceasing lie. De-
eeption toward God. toward man. to-
ward self; all false till the poor subject
comes at last to believe and advocate a
lie. Alas for ".Whosoever loveth and
maketh lie. The end is plain. All
liars shall have their part in the lake
that burneth.
Thou hast not lied unto me n, but unto
God. Let US be careful. Thou God
seest me-. Yea, more. God not only
hears all lies, sees all lies, but no false
hood is spoken that is not, in n profound
sense, against high heaven itself. In a
special and peculiar degree is this true
OF the deception practlced by 'Ananias
and Sapphire, and so indeed Of all false
hood respecting the holy things Of God,
devotion, conservation. faith. But it is
in a large measure true, also, OF the
falsehood spoken or acted between men
in the ordinary affairs Of life. 1t Is an
offense to the central law Of our being
and virtual rebellion against God.
Next Lesson-"The Apostles Perse.
euted." Acts 5: 25-41.