Sketches from the Life of Paul (1883) — PDF Scan 218
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MEETING WITH THE ELDERS . 211 But beneaththisapparentharmony,prejudice and dissatisfactionwerestillsmouldering. Some in,thechurchwere stillstrivingto mold Christianity after the old customs and ceremonies thatwere to pass away at thedeathof Christ. They feltthatthework of preachingthe gospel must be conductedaccordingto theiropinions. If Paul would labor in accordance with these ideas, they would acknowledgeand sustainhis work ; otherwisethey would discard it. The elders of the church had been at fault in allowingthemselvesto be influencedby the enemiesoftheapostle. But when they heardfrom hisown lipsan account of the work he had been doing,itassumeda differentaspect. Theycould notcondemn hismanner oflabor; theywere con-' vinced that it bore the signetof Heaven . The liberalcontributions from the new churches he had raisedup, testifiedto the power of the truth. They saw thattheyhad beenheldinbondageby the Jewish customs and traditions, and that the work of thegospelhad beengreatlyhinderedby theireffortstomaintainthemiddlewallofpartition between Jew and Gentile . Now was thegoldenopportunityfortheseleadingmen tofranklyconfessthatGod had wrought throughPaul,and thatthey were wrong in permittingthereportsofhis enemiesto createjealousyand prejudiceagainsthim. But insteadof doingjusticetotheone whom they had injured, theystillappearedtoholdhimresponsibleforthe existingprejudice,asthough he had giventhem causefor such feelings. They did not nobly stand in his defense,and endeavor to show the disaffectedpartytheirerror; but theythrew the burdenwhollyupon Paul,counselinghimtopur-