pline intended to drive men to Christ, its obligations fell away
when this purpose was fulfilled. The bondage of tutelage ceased as
soon as the son entered on the actual possession of his inheritance.

160. It is certain, however, that the other apostles and the mass of
the Christians of Jerusalem did not for many a day realize this. The
apostles had agreed not to demand from the Gentile Christians
circumcision and the keeping of the law. But they kept it themselves
and expected all Jews to keep it. This involved a contradiction of
ideas, and it led to unhappy practical consequences. If it had
continued or been yielded to by Paul, it would have split up the Church
into two sections, one of which would have looked down upon the other.
For it was part of the strict observance of the law to refuse to eat
with the uncircumcised; and the Jews would have refused to sit at the
same table with those whom they acknowledged to be their Christian
brethren. This unseemly contradiction actually came to pass in a
prominent instance. The Apostle Peter, chancing on one occasion to be
in the heathen city of Antioch, at first mingled freely in social
intercourse with the Gentile Christians. But some of the stricter
sort, coming thither from Jerusalem, so cowed him that he withdrew from
the Gentile table and held aloof from his fellow-Christians. Even
Barnabas was carried away by the same tyranny of bigotry. Paul alone
was true to the principles of gospel freedom, withstanding Peter to the
face and exposing the inconsistency of his conduct.

161. Paul never, indeed, carried on a polemic against circumcision and
the keeping of the law among born Jews. This was reported of him by
his enemies; but it was a false report. When he arrived in Jerusalem
at the close of his third missionary journey, the Apostle James and the
elders informed him of the damage which this representation was doing
to his good name and advised him publicly to disprove it. The words in
which they made this appeal to him are very remarkable. "Thou seest,
brother," they said, "how many thousands of Jews there are who believe;
and they are all zealous of the law; and they are informed of thee that
thou teachest all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses,
saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to
walk after the customs. Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have
four men who have a vow on them. Take them and