The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 595

THE COMMUNION OF GOODS

555

ner of monks, as members of one family while others have disapproved of it as an extravagance of Christian fanaticism. Both extremes are untenable. It appears from Scripture that this generous and enthusiastic effort to escape from the plague of poverty was not only unprofitable to the few, but that it caused terrible suffering which extended over the whole Church. At least, in his epistles, St. Paul speaks again and again of the poverty-stricken saints of Jerusalem, who were always in need of a collection and in danger of starvation. In other places that did not have a communion of goods there was a surplus; and in Jerusalem, where on a large scale possessions had been divided, the people suffered lack. This shows convincingly ;

that division of property, or

ordained of

God

to

mutual prosperity.

Rome

communion

overcome poverty or

The subsequent

to realize a similar ideal

of goods,

is

not the

way

to attain a state of higher

efforts

of various sects at

on a smaller and more careful scale

met with similar failures. And the secular enterprises of Proudhon and others led to similar miserable results. But it is equally erroneous to suppose that this failure justifies us in condemning the early church of Jerusalem for this act. This would be inconsistent with the upholding of the apostolic authorThe apostles had a part in this matter; they assisted the ity. church in receiving the money for distribution. Hence to tear the apostles* seal from this heroic act of the church of Jerusalem is simply impossible. We should be careful not to condemn what the apostles have stamped with their own sign-manual. Judging from the results, this communion of goods and subsequent misery produced precious fruit; partly in the fact that the church of Jerusalem was thus kept from relapsing into worldliness and attachment to houses and lands; and more strongly in the other fact that this very impoverishing of the church became the powerful means by which the breach was prevented between the churches of Palestine and those of the Gentile world. The distress at Jerusalem quenched the rising pride of the Jewish heart and the delight of imparting to others softened the hearts at Corinth and in Macedonia. St. Paul, traveling to Jerusalem, carrying with him European treasure, holds in his hand the silver cord that keeps together and shortly unites the troubled churches. ;

But, apart from these good results, this division of property

em-

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