house was shaken by the Holy Ghost entering in once more and making them speak boldly about Jesus. The words of Jesus to His apostles before He was crucified: If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.'-John, xv. 18. √. THE TWO LIARS. Acts, iv. 32 to end; v. 1-11. THERE were now a great many people who believed in Jesus. Three thousand had turned to Him after Peter's first sermon on the morning of Pentecost, and five thousand more had turned after Peter's second sermon in the Temple one evening. Three thousand and five thousand made eight thousand. They lived very happily, sharing their things with one another. their lands, and gave the poor. The rich sold money to the One rich man, named Barnabas, sold his land, and brought the money to the apostles, and laid it at their feet, to do what they would with it. You will often hear again of this good Barnabas. But were all the believers good? No; there were some who did not believe with their hearts. They wished to go to heaven, but they did not love Jesus they tried to seem good, and to get praised. There was a rich man, named Ananias, who wanted to be praised. He had a wife named Sapphira. They thought they would like to seem as good as Barnabas, but they did not like to part with all their money. One said to the other, 'Let us sell our land, and give the price to the apostles-but not quite all. Oh, then we shall not seem so good as Barnabas. Cannot we pretend to give it all? The apostles will never know what money we got for the land, and we will let them think we have given them the whole for the poor.' So Ananias took part of the money, and took it to the apostles, and laid it at their feet, and hoped they would think he had given all. Did the apostles know? You will see by what Peter said, 'Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? You need not have sold the land at all, and when you had sold it you need not have brought us the money. Why have you thought in your heart of doing this?' (You see that it is sin in the heart that God hates.) As soon as Ananias heard Peter's words he fell down dead. Some young |