ess. By "malice" we understand the various open
vices and sins which represent manifest wrong to God and our neighbor.
"Wickedness" stands for those numerous evil tricks, those nimble,
subtle, venomous artifices practiced upon Christian doctrine and the
Word of God with intent to corrupt and pervert them, to mislead hearts
from the true meaning thereof. Paul warns (2 Cor 11, 3): "But I fear,
lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your
minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is
toward Christ." Under "wickedness" comes also such evils as hypocrisy
and other false, deceptive dealing practiced in the name of God by way
of adorning and covering the sin; false teaching and deceptive action
passed off as right, proper and Christian. Such wickedness Christ
terms "the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." Mk 8, 15.
This sort of leaven, particularly, we have in the world to an
unspeakable extent in this last and worst of times.

28. To the leaven of malice and of wickedness, Paul opposes the leaven
of sincerity and truth. To be sincere is to live and act in an upright
Christian way, prompted by a faithful, godly heart, a heart kindly
disposed to all and meditating wrong and injury to none; and to deal
as you would be dealt with. To be true is to refrain from false and
crafty dealing, from deceit and roguery, and to teach and live in
probity and righteousness according to the pure Word of God. Truth and
sincerity must prevail and be in evidence with Christians, who have
entered upon a relation and life altogether new; they should celebrate
the new Easter festival by bringing faith and doctrine and life into
accord with it.

_Easter Monday_

Text: Acts 10, 34-43.

34 And Peter opened his mouth, and said: Of a truth I perceive that
God is no respecter of persons: 35 but in every nation he that feareth
him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. 36 The word
which he sent unto the children of Israel, preaching good tidings of
peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)--37 that saying ye
yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judaea, beginning
from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 even Jesus of
Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power:
who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the
devil; for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things
which he did both in the c