the ostensible purpose of purification according to the manner of the Jews, but for the real, and secretly avowed purpose of decieving the thousands who believed at Jerusalem, and were still zealous of the law. Yes! for the purpose of inducing them to believe, that Paul did not preach to the believing Jews, that they ought not to follow Moses, when the fact was, he did so preach. Yet James was suffered to live on, after the commision of this pious fraud. Paul went into the temple, as advised, and was there acting the lie for several days. Was not his lie to the Holy Ghost, as well as Saphira's, or was the Holy Ghost specially interested in these money matters. Yet Paul lived after this, many years, and was the objoct of God's special protection. Let us return to the narrative. "Then she fell down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost, and the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her with her husband. Then great fear again came upon all the church. No wonder. Was it the custom of the Jews to bury persons the moment they died? Did they make no coffinsno shrouds have no funeral service-no processions-no ceremoniesinvite no friends of the deceased, to view their faces for the last time, and assist in this last sad ceremony? Or did they wind them up and throw them into holes, as they would dead dogs? Tell me, ye admirers of Peter, tell me, why he did not follow these bodies to their common grave, and say: "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes-the body shall return to dust as it was, and the spirit to the God who gave it." How can his neglect of these pious and christian duties be explained, on the supposition, that these persons came to their death, by the visitation of God. All was secrecy and despatch. Nothing consistent with fair play. Many pertinent questions might be asked here. Saphira came in.Where? Who was present? Who were those young men? How happened it that they came in so opportunely at the death of each of these victims? Great fear came upon all those that heard of these things. No one saw them but Peter, not even his lictors. Let it be borne in mind that for no offence except for this concealment of money-money, do we hear of a miraculous death. What could have been the object of this signal punishment for so slight an offence? It could not have aided the cause with the world. Besides, these murders could not have been made public. The Roman Governor would most assuredly have enquired into the cause of these sudden deaths and hasty burials, had they come to his ear. The wrath of God for keeping back a small portion of their own money, would have been no defence to Peter, when arraigned before this governor on a charge of murder. Nor would it be at this day, before any jury of Kentucky, were Dunlavy to be arraigned on a similar charge. Let it be once bruited in that state, that a man and his wife who had joined the shakers, had died within three hours of each other, and both uncoffined and unshrouded been thrown into one hole immediately on life leaving their bodies; and the indignation of that warm-hearted and gallant people can scarcely be conceived of. The allegation that the spirit of God was poured out in wrath upon them, would be hooted at. No judge weuld permit such a defence to be made. Would a New York jury have listened to such a defence on a trial of Morgan's murderers? The object in murdering Annanias and Saphira, was in part to compel those of the society to surrender up what they might have kept back, but the principle object shall be developed in the sequel. It is impossible to ascertain with certainty how long this community of goods continued. It could not have been long. Besides it is not to be supposed that these ten thousand men, and probably as many women expected to live on this fund all their lives, as idle drones. They must have pursued some occupation, as members of similar societies do at the present day-have done something for their support; and it is therefore fair to presume that this common fund could not have diminished, while the society existed, but must have increased rather. From your chronological tables, it appears this society was broken up, and its members scattered the next year after the crucifixion. It could not therefore have existed two years and might not as many months. We have traced this fund into the hands of the apostles, and we never hear of their disgorging. The society, bear in mind, was not dissolved because its funds gave out, but because of a persecution. The account of this dissolution is in these words: "And at that time there was a great persecution against the church at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the apostles." It will not do to say that the word all is here used indefinitely or hyperbolically, meaning nothing more than a great part, for it is rendered definite by the exception. It would be absurd to say that a great part were scattered abroad except the apostles and the other part. Except the apostles! Think of that! Why this scattering abroad?— Becanse of a persecution. Why this persecution? Because of a heresy adopted and held by the fugitives. Who were the authors and principle promulgators and leaders of this heresy? The twelve apostles. Where are they? Oh, they are in Jerusalem still. Are they persecuted there, burnt at the stake, or drawn in quarters? Nothing of the kind, but are living wholly unmolested, and in 'peace and good fellowship with all the Jews, so far as we can learn from the scriptures. I have once asked what became of these deposites? Did any of the fugitives check for the whole or any part of what he laid at the apostles feet? We have no evidence that they did. Remember also that great fear had come upon them in consequence of the energetic measures of Peter towards Annanias and Saphira. No one would have called upon this energetic cashier for a settlement previous to his departure, or presented to him a check for fear of being doomed to a similar fate. To fall down dead, and be wrapped up instanter, and thrown into a hole, could not have been very pleasant ideas to these persons who were flying from their homes to escape persecution. The object of this violent procedure towards Annanias and Saphira, is now apparent. The whole was a preconcerted plan. These murders were committed in secret, and the deaths of the victims attributed to the wrath of God, for the very purpose of exciting this great fear among the depositors, to whom alone the murders were made known, and thus silencing all clamors and demands for money on their part, when the alarm cry of persecution should be sounded. The apostles had cash enough in thǝir hands to purchase their peace and bribe the Jews to a sham persecution. These are the legitimate inferences from the facts as detailed. Why did these apostles remain in Jerusalem? What could they do there, or expect to do? Could they suppose that any one would become a convert to their religion, at that time, in that city, at the hazzard of his life? They certainly could not have entertained a hope of making a disciple in a city, from which he would be compelled immediately to fly or be massacred. But why were they not put to death? Will you answer that they secreted themselves? Was this skulking a course proper to be pursued by persons who had but a few months before been enjoined by their risen lord to preach the gospel to every creature? Who were to support them during this sequestration? Their adherents had all left the city. To sum up the argument: If the persecution was such as to make it expedient for the ten thousand converts to leave Jerusalem, a fortiori, was it expedient for the apostles to leave it. If these apostles continued in Jerusalem after the dispersion of these converts, it is evident the persecution spoken of, was a mere sham. On the supposition they did not secrete, but showed themselves openly, the question arises how they supported themselves? Did they return to their original occupations? There was no sea of Tiberias there for Peter, and Andrew, and John, to haul their nets in. It is impossible to account for their continuance in Jerusalem, but on the supposition that they had money enough, not only to buy their peace, but to support themselves, without labor; that is, like priests. There can be no doubt, on a full and candid investigation of all the facts as stated, that Jerusalem became their continual abiding city, and that they lived there in clover, unless, like the most of their tribe, (for they never ceased to be Jews,) they were misers. I wish it to be particularly borne in mind that after this dispersion, we never hear of any persecution of the twelve apostles or their converts, or opposition to them on the part of the Jews at Jerusalem, nor any hint to that effect, except the assertion that it pleased the Jews that Herod killed James. As I have shown in the case of of Paul that the Pharisees, a numerous and influential sect of the Jews, were partial to the christians, and that the Romans were not ill disposed towards them; it follows, that this persecution that drove the ten thousand disciples from Jernsalem, must have been waged by the Sadducees alone. Could that sect, who must have acted only as a mob, have driven these ten thousand from their homes? Was this mob so powerful as to overawe the government suported by its legions of Roman soldiers, and backed, as it must have been in this case, by the Pharisees and Christians? As Luke does not tell us by whom this persecution was waged; I shall not attempt to be wise above what is written, but shall leave it as I find it, a persecution in the abstract. I must repeat, that after a full and candid examination of the history of these apostles, the conclusion irresistibly forces itself upon my mind, that after they had obtained their object, that is, filled their pockets with cash even to overflowing, by this trick played off upon their first converts, they were disposed to go no further in this business of christianity, but to let it die as quiet a death as possible. The disciples however kept up the war -they no doubt were sincere-they went every where preaching the word to the Jews-the apostles went nowhere and preached to nobody. They could not be so inconsistent as to forbid their own converts from preaching, nor so disinterested as not to turn this preaching to their own advantage, by assuming the superiority over all disciples wheresoever and by whomsoever made, and thus becoming a board of control or supervisory and directory council. Nothing worldly and selfish in all this! To take the spiritual control of thousands of Jewish christians throughout the Romau empire manifested a meek and lowly spirit! Paul, however, was a great eye sore to them. They were antipodes to each other, he preaching down and they preaching up the law. This hatred was mutual, and the more bitter because it was smothered. They being conscious of his talents and perseverance, were afraid to denounce him, and he, conscious of their power (acquired as we have seen,) did not dare to make open war upon them. They finally outmanaged him. Not wishing to be annoyed by him any longer they determined to get rid of him, by a trick that a Vidoq would have been ashamed of. They tell him to go into the temple with the four |