whom these startling tidings came. Surely must they have exclaimed, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." The effect of this appalling judgment was to repel every hollowhearted dissembler from the Christian fold. "Of the rest durst no man join himself unto them❞— no man who was not conscious of the purity of his motives, and the singleness of his heart. The insincere and worldly perceived how dangerous the attempt to make gain of godliness, or to deal falsely with the Lord's inspired servants. But the terrible stroke had not the effect of making the Gospel less precious, or the Church less attractive to them that were in earnest for salvation. For we read immediately after, "The people magnified them and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes, both of men and women." This making bare of the Almighty arm was a proof not to be gainsayed of the truth and divine origin of the gospel, and self-accusing penitents felt that their sole hope, their only safety, was under the shadow of a Saviour's

cross.

From this painfully interesting narrative, let us gather, beloved, a deeper conviction of the evil and danger of sin, and especially of the sins of hypocrisy, deception, fraud and falsehood. Have we not cause to mourn and to tremble when we are compelled to witness the frequency of such

sins? For how slight a cause will many sacrifice the truth? What an amount of falsehood and deception are constantly ventured on? How important that the young especially be taught to abhor and dread all equivocation and deceit; to feel its hatefulness to God, and its deadly peril to the soul? The sin of falsehood is no less offensive to God, because he does not strike the liar dead in a moment. He has warned us, that "All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." And surely this awful sentence ought to be as effectual to deter us from this sin, as the immediate infliction of such a doom as befel this guilty pair.

Let us be especially truthful and sincere in all that pertains to our religious duties. When we profess to give God all, let us not wilfully and willingly keep back any part of what is justly his. It was optional with Ananias to make his offering to the Lord. But the self-consecration that we are bound to render is not optional, for we are not our own, but bought with a price. God has already the highest claims upon us. Let us not deal deceitfully with him. When the disciple of Jesus studies to unite the services of God and Mammon, gives to the world those affections which have been vowed to the Saviour, evinces zeal and ardor in the pursuit of selfish objects, but is slug

gish and indifferent to the promotion of the Redeemer's glory, is there no keeping back of part of the price? When the hand is open to the demands of pride and pleasure, but shut against the claims of the Gospel, and the sufferings of the poor; when the expenditure is lavish for personal enjoyment or ambition, and parsimonious for the Redeemer's cause, is there no keeping back of part of the price? When parents professedly dedicate their offspring to God, in holy baptism, and then suffer them to grow up in unchecked folly, untaught in the nature of the solemn promise and vow made in their name, permitted to follow the multitude to do evil, without restraint or remonstrance, is there no keeping back part of the price? Oh, brethren, we deal with a heart-searching God, who requireth truth in the inward parts. Let integrity and uprightness preserve us. God is merciful to the defects and short-comings of the earnest and true-hearted. Our Great High Priest is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but he will not away with dissimulation and double-dealing. If we serve God at all, it must be in sincerity and truth.

And is not every secret sinner attempting to lie unto God? And where sinners unite to cover their iniquity, are they not, like Ananias and Sapphira, agreeing together to tempt the Spirit of the

Lord? Is it not in effect, venturing an experiment upon the existence and the omniscience of the Mighty One; trying whether God can perceive, and whether he will punish? "Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are! And thou sayest, How doth God know? Can he judge through the dark cloud?" And all those triflers with divine longsuffering, who say to the Spirit of God again and again, "Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season I will call for thee"-are they not attempting to put off the Holy visitant with false and insincere promises, and hollow protestations? When will man learn the incredible folly, the exceeding danger of dealing deceitfully with their Maker? "Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

11

SIMON THE MAGICIAN.

ACTS VIII. 20, 21.

“But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God."

The growth of the Christian Church in Jerusalem, spite of all the opposition that it experienced, provoked still more the jealousy of the Jewish rulers, and kindled the flames of a fiercer persecution. The spirit of rancorous hostility to the truth of God first began to slake its rage with blood in the martyrdom of holy Stephen; and after the sacrifice of this willing victim, broke forth with violence against the whole body of believers. Led on by the furious bigotry of Saul of Tarsus, the enemies of the faith redoubled their exertions to crush and exterminate it, and the storm which burst so violently upon Jerusalem drove out multitudes of the new disciples into the surrounding cities and villages. "At that time there was a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles." But this assault