aroundworldortra00peebiala-1

114 AEOUND THE WORLD.
other rich spiritual gifts showered upon trusting hearts on
the " Day of Pentecost." The power was so marvelous that
" three thousand souls " were moved to repentance. And of
these it is recorded, " All that believed were together, and
had all things in common, and sold their possessions and
goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need."
On this auspicious day the Jewish Apostolic Church, or genuine
Christian church, under the inspiration and baptism
of the Christ-spirit^ began to exist. The communism was
absolute. These newly baptized souls, full- of fervor, were
willing to surrender selfish ownership for the common good.
Their principles were peace, purity, and " all things in common,"
constituting the millennial church, the church of the
ages. " Ukklesia,'^ translated " church" means, literally,
" assembly." As understood apostolically, it implied a sympathizing
assembly, convened and welded for a heavenly purpose.
"Now there were in the church {ekklesia, assembly)*
that was at Antioch certain prophets " (Acts xiii. 1). These
prophets, apostles,
" women of Samaria," and believers generally,
quickened by the Christ-principle, constituted themselves
into spiritual families, brotherhoods, and communities
holding " all things in common." " But," says one, " men naturally
like to have their own." Granted ; and so some men
naturally like to have their neighbors' !
Thieves are of this
kind. But it is no more natural for thieves on a low physical
plane to steal, and misers to clutch and hoard, than for
the philanthropic and spiritually-minded to adopt a broad,
fraternal communism. The angelic in the heavens are certainly
communists. And I have yet to learn that spirits put
patches of the summer-land into market, loan money, or
speculate in corner-lots. When men pray, " Thy will be
done on earth," why do they not go to work, and do it ?
Jesus came centuries ago. When is salvation coming ?