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10. This bondage, however, in the case of the Jewish people,
differed widely from what it was in the case of the other nations;
because, though the former were in bondage to temporal things, it was
in such a way that in all these the One God was put before their
minds. And although they paid attention to the signs of spiritual
realities in place of the realities themselves, not knowing to what the
signs referred, still they had this conviction rooted in their minds,
that in subjecting themselves to such a bondage they were doing the
pleasure of the one invisible God of all. And the apostle describes
this bondage as being like to that of boys under the guidance of a
schoolmaster. And those who clung obstinately to such signs could not
endure our Lord's neglect of them when the time for their revelation
had come; and hence their leaders brought it as a charge against Him
that He healed on the Sabbath, and the people, clinging to these
signs as if they were realities, could not believe that one who refused
to observe them in the way the Jews did was God, or came from God.
But those who did believe, from among whom the first Church at
Jerusalem was formed, showed clearly how great an advantage it had
been to be so guided by the schoolmaster that signs, which had been for
a season imposed on the obedient, fixed the thoughts of those who
observed them on the worship of the One God who made heaven and
earth. These men, because they had been very near to spiritual things
(for even in the temporal and carnal offerings and types, though they
did not clearly apprehend their spiritual meaning, they had learnt to
adore the One Eternal God,) were filled with such a measure of the
Holy Spirit that they sold all their goods, and laid their price at
the apostles' feet to be distributed among the needy, and consecrated
themselves wholly to God as a new temple, of which the old temple they
were serving was but the earthly type.
11. Now it is not recorded that any of the Gentile churches did
this, because men who had for their gods idols made with hands had not
been so near to spiritual things.
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