The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-12-07
nm ''oLD TINE RELIGION.

=
to be used in common among them.
So it was until the crucifixion. After
his crucifixion and translation under
the guidance of his spirit through the
offices of the Holy Ghost there was
q continuance Of this manner Of life
and living among his Apostles and
| followers for we find:
"All that believed were together, and had all
things common. And sold their possessions aud
goods and partedthem to all men as every man
had need
And again:
sWhen they had prayed, the place was shaken
| where they were assembled together
| And the multitude Of them that believed were Of
| one heart and one soul. Neither said any Of
them that aught of the things which he possessed
was his own But they had all things common.
/ Neither was their any among them
| that lacked for as many as were possessors Of
| lands or houses sold them, and brought the
prices Of the things which were sold, and laid
them down at the Apostles feet And distfibu-
ton was made unto every man according as he
| had need
There were two who sold their lands
but before bringing the price which
the land sold for and laying 1t
down at the Apostles feet, were seized
with the worldly lust of avaricious-
ness, and kept part of the price
back, which they intended should not
go into the common fund.
For the doing of which do our read
ers remember what fate befell them :?
It's recital may be valuable:
aBut certain man named Ananias with Sap
phira his wife, sold possession and kept back
part of the price, his wife also being privy to
and brought certain part, and laid it at the
Apostles feet But Peter said Ananias, why
hath Satan filed thine heart to lie to the Holy
Ghost and to keep back part of the price of the
land2 While it remained, was it not thine own !?
And after it was sold was it not in thine own
power? Why has thou conceived this thing in
thine heart2 Thou has not lied unto men, but
unto God Aud Ananias, hearing these words fell
down and gave up the ghost Aud the
young men arose, wound him him up. and car
ried him out and buried him.
The fate that overlook Sapphira,
who was willing accomplice of her
husbands in keeping back part Of
the money and not putting it all into
the common treasury as the Others had
done, was not less terrible.
We read:
"And il was about the space of three lioars af
ter, when his wife, not knowing what was done,
came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me
whether We sold the land for so much9 And she
said Yea, for SO much. Then Peter said unto
her. How is it that We have agreed together to
tempt the spirit of the Lord? behold the feet of
those which have buried thy husband are at tbs
door, and shall carry thee out Then fell size
down straighway at his feet, and yielded up the
ghost And the young men came in, and found
| her dead, and carried her forth, and buried her
| by her husband.n
Suppose the same fate should befall
those of our day who profess to be fol-
lowers of Christ, and hold back, not a
part, but all of their possessions, aud
refuse to have distribution made
of it to ''every man. according as he
has need?n How many would es-
cape the punishment that befell Ana
Mas and Sapphira? Would not the
numbers be SO great that the "deadn
would be compelled to "bury the
dead?n
To the young man who had kept all
the commandments from his youth
up, and asked "What lack / yet?n
What was the reply of Jesus?
If thou will be perfect go and sell that thou
hast aud give to the poor Then said
| Jesus. unto his disciples Verify say unto you,
that rich man shall hardly enter into the king
dom of heavon.
And as the inequalities of man
the very rich and the very poor-rose
up before Him in their vividness, with
much greater emphasis and vigor, he
repeated the assertion.
"And again say unto you, 1t is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of needle, than
for rich man to enter into the kingdom Of
i Cod"
And yet how is it in our day? Who
are now the protested followers of
Christ?
Jno. d. Rockefeller, Henry M. Flag
Ter, Andrew Carnegie, and Others by
the side of whom the ancient Crmsus
would appear as pauper.
And talk to these men about having
a common fund.- and sscommon
distributions so that mo man should
Lack and you would be denounced
as an anarchist or condemned as
a socialist which is now regarded
next to an anarchist and worse
than an outcast.n
i That the manner of living by the
early christians was completely in ac-
cord with the quotations from the
Acts as we have given them, we learn
from those who have made study OF
the subject, that it is SO recorded by
nearly all the early christian writers.
Justin Martyr, who wrote Al. d. 100,
leaves the following testimony as to
the manner of living among the
christians of his time:
I'VE, who before becoming christians, had all
our happiness in getting all the money we could
now bring all we have into common fund and
Il
need
i Since this 'old time religion has
been swallowed up by the avaricious-
ness that caused the death Of Ananias
what do we see in its place? Costly
churches and cathedrals, soft cushion
ed pews, beautiful memorial windows
and high climbing spiers; high sala.
ried preachers and bishops and arch.
bishops and cardinals and popes, and
instead of distribution being made
ito every man who has need,n we
meet poverty at every turn, and
tramps are becoming SO common, ever
herein the United States where oul
resources are not yet half developed
f1,x AZ -, ~. - l<,,r,ar %roc IL 81 I, :,