How we can bless our God for this! We can at once see that the decision of a local assembly, such as Antioch, even though approved by Paul and Barnabas, would not carry the same weight as that of the twelve apostles assembled in council at Jerusalem. But the Lord, blessed be His name, took care that the enemy should be completely confounded, and that the law-teachers of that day, and of every other day, should be distinctly and authoritatively taught that it was not according to His mind that Christians should be put under law, for any object whatsoever. The subject is so deeply important that we cannot forbear quoting a few passages for the reader. We believe it will refresh both the reader and the writer to refer to the soul-stirring addresses delivered at the most remarkable and interesting council that ever sat. "And certain men which came down from Judæa taught the brethren, 'Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.'" How awful! How terribly chilling! What a death-knell to ring in the ears of those who had been converted under Paul's splendid address in the synagogue at Antioch!--"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that _through this Man_"--without circumcision or works of law of any kind whatsoever--"is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and _by Him_ all that believe"--irrespective altogether of circumcision--"_are_ justified _from all things_, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.... And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." Such was the glorious message sent to the Gentiles by the lips of the apostle Paul--a message of free, full, immediate, and perfect salvation--full remission of sins and perfect justification, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. But according to the teaching of the "certain men which came down from Judæa," all this was insufficient--Christ was not enough, without circumcision and the law of Moses. Poor Gentiles, who had never heard of circumcision or the law of Moses, must add to Christ and His glorious salvation the keeping of the whole law. How must Paul's heart have burned within him to have the beloved Gentile converts brought under such monstrous teaching as this! He saw in it nothing short of the complete surrender of Christianity. If circumcision must be added to the cross of Christ--if the law of Moses must supplement the grace of God, then verily all was gone.