Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/293

43* the profession of executioners, bailiffs, councillors, mayors or ruling lords; yet, at the same time, they all, brethren of the same faith and partakers of Christ, submitted in all material and civil matters to pagans exercising such prefessions.

The congregations of Christ lived among pagans and existed without holding temporal power for over three hundred years until the time of Constantine. He was the first one who infiltrated himself into the Christian community with Gentile rule and Gentile (system of) clerks. The apostles, however, have taught their people to look after higher and more perfect things than the pagans were seeking. From the teaching of the apostles we learn that they asked them

This kind of administration is far different from the pagan administration which has to resort to civil laws and pagan clerks and officials. It is a much loftier and nobler law to be likeone body and to be governed by the same spirit of God in all matters divine and spiritual and moral, having only one Lord, Jesus Christ; a pagan government is bound to weaken justice since it attracts men who are not wise or desirous of  Ephesians 4: 1–6.