The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-09-12
The Fundamental Truth.

How is it that ye have agreed together
| to tempt the spirit of the Lord!-Acts,
y, 8. ......
At the outset the Christians OF
Jerusalem agreed to have all things
| in common. Those who had fields
and houses sold them and the pro-.
seeds were put into the common
purse. Only certain couple, Ana
Mas and Sapphira, decided that they
| wished to be Christians and get the'
advantages, whatever they might be,
| of Christianity without bearing all
! the burden Of it.
They therefore agreed to sell part
of their property and put the money
in the common purse, but to repre-
sent that money to be the proceeds
of the sale of the whole property.
They did so and were punished by
death, visited upon them miraculous
ly, because they had tempted the
Spirit of the Lord. The words of the
text are the words Of st. Peter, which
he addresses to the woman whom he
accuses of the conspiracy between
herself and her husband to defraud
God.
This story of Ananias and Sapphi-
ra Is, as take it, an allegory intend
ed to express profound Christian
truth. There can be no more COM
! plete unity and community OF inter-
est than that which exists among
children of one household. But BY
virtue of it's fundamental principles
Christianity is such brotherhood.
All are children of one Father-and
brothers each of the other. This re-
lation is the first thought in the
Lords Prayer, Our Father, which
are in heaven the pattern prayer of
Christendom. 1t underltes the two
Commandments which our Lord sub
stituted for the ancient ten-name-
ly, Cd Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind"
and CD Thou shalt love thy neigh
Dor as thyself." Expressed In terms
of property, it appears in our Lords
teaching that man should regard
himself merely as the steward, not
the owner, of his possessions; that is,
that his property is not his to enjoy
for himself, but only to administer
for the greatest good of his brethren.
No man is true Christian who
has not made the fundamental sur
render of himself and all that he has
to God in and through his fellow
men. He who, processing the name
of Christianity, still regards worldly
goods-his powers, his talents, his
knowledge, the wealth which he has
inherited or acquired-as his for his
own amusement, for his own aggran-
dizement, for the enrichment of his
children and not for the service OF
his brother men, has tempted the
Spirit Of the Lord, and his punish
ment is spiritual death. He cannot
know God, for God is love; but to
know God is to possess eternal HE,
and not to know God is to be dead
eternally.
This is the fundamental truth Of
Christianity, above all expressions OF
creets. A man may believe with his
mind and express with his lips be-
lief in all the doctrines of the Chris
tian Church; unless he makes the sur
render of himself and what he pos
sesses he does not in fact believe In
Christ True belief in Jesus Christ
is the acceptance as the rule of life
of the Spirit of Christ, the spirit of
service and sacrifice. To choose as
the standard and the aim Of ones
life self-adyancement or self-pleas-
ing instead of the service Of ones
fellows-above all, to make ones
very profession Of religion means
of self-profit-that is the sin against
the Holy Spirit which may not be
forgiven either here or hereafter.
That is the meaning and the lesson
OF the parable of Ananias and Sap
phira, who agreed together to tempt
the Spirit of the Lord.-John P. Pet
ers, Rector of st. Michaels Church,
New York, in the Sunday Herald. :