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There was indeed on earth, so long as it was needed, a symbol and
foreshadowing image of this city, which served the purpose of reminding
men that such a city was to be rather than of making it present; and
this image was itself called the holy city, as a symbol of the future
city, though not itself the reality. Of this city which served as an
image, and of that free city it typified, Paul writes to the
Galatians in these terms: "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the
law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had
two sons, the one by a bond maid, the other by a free woman. But he
who was of the bond woman was born after the flesh, but he of the free
woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the
two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to
bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia,
and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her
children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother
of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest
not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not for the desolate
hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we,
brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he
that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the
Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless, what saith the
Scripture? Cast out the bond woman and her son: for the son of the
bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. And we,
brethren, are not children of the bond woman, but of the free, in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." This interpretation of
the passage, handed down to us with apostolic authority, shows how we
ought to understand the Scriptures of the two covenants, the old and
the new. One portion of the earthly city became an image of the
heavenly city, not having a significance of its own, but signifying
another city, and therefore serving, or" being in bondage." For it
was founded not for its own sake, but to prefigure another city; and
this shadow of a city was also itself foreshadowed by another preceding
figure. For Sarah's handmaid Agar, and her son, were an image of
this image. And as the shadows were to pass away when the full light
came, Sarah, the free woman, who prefigured the free city (which
again was also prefigured in another way by that shadow of a city
Jerusalem), therefore said, "Cast out the bond woman and her son;
for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac,"
or, as the apostle says, "with the son of the free woman." In the
earthly city, then, we find two things, its own obvious presence,
and its symbolic presentation of the heavenly city. Now citizens are
begotten to the earthly city by nature vitiated by sin, but to the
heavenly city by grace freeing nature from sin; whence the former are
called "vessels of wrath," the latter "vessels of mercy." And
this was typified in the two sons of Abraham, Ishmael, the son of
Agar the handmaid, being born according to the flesh, while Isaac
was born of the free woman Sarah, according to the promise. Both,
indeed, were of Abraham's seed; but the one was begotten by natural
law, the other was given by gracious promise. In the one birth,
human action is revealed; in the other, a divine kindness comes to
light.
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