But the Gospel changed all that miraculously and suddenly, both in
Jew, in Greek, and in Roman. When men became Christians at St.
Paul's preaching, all the old barriers of race were broken down
between them. They said no more, 'I am a Roman,' 'I a Greek,' 'I a
Jew,' but 'I am a Christian man; and, because I am a Christian, Roman
and Greek and Jew are alike my brothers.'
There was seen such a sight as (so far as we know) was never seen
before on earth--the high-born white lady worshipping by the side of
her own negro slave; the proud and selfish Roman, who never had
helped a human being in his life, sending his alms to the churches of
Syria, or of some other country far away; the clever and educated
Greek learning from the Jew, whom he called a barbarian; and the Jew,
who had hated all mankind, and been hated by them in return,
preaching to all mankind the good news that they were brothers, in
the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man.
Instead of a kingdom of division, the Church was a kingdom of union.
Charity, and generosity, and mutual help took the place of
selfishness, and distrust, and oppression. While men had been
heathens, their pattern had been that of the priest who saw the
wounded man lying, and looked on him and passed by. Their pattern
now was that of the good Samaritan, who helped and saved the wounded
stranger, simply because he was a man.
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