God waited on Israel's repentance: that they who thus waited were marked off

from the present time by the possession of miraculous gifts, which, together

with Israel and its hope, have been set aside until the Church of the One

Body is complete.  Continuing the criticism which we have partly examined,

`B' passes from the question of the dispensational boundary of Acts 28 to the

equally important question of the written testimony concerning this new

I find another difficulty in the assumption that of the Pauline

epistles only four should have validity for us, and that this fact is

nowhere mentioned, nor are these epistles in any way distinguished from

the others by a special position in the New Testament: indeed, they are

deceptively placed in the very middle of the other epistles that are

not supposed to be applicable to us.  Though I find Mr. Welch a little

inconsistent, and quoting Romans and Corinthians with great cogency as

undoubtedly authoritative'.

`B' makes it clear in the above criticism that he is not very well

acquainted with what we actually teach.  He seems to think that we have

confined ourselves to but `four' epistles, and that it is an act inconsistent

with our position to refer, for example, to Romans.  The opening paragraph of

our studies in Romans runs like this:

`Perhaps no one book in the whole of the Scriptures may be considered

to have a claim upon all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, more

than the epistle to the Romans'.

Romans is `undoubtedly authoritative' where doctrine is concerned, but

where we see a difference between Romans and the epistles of the Mystery is

in their dispensational teaching.  Both Romans and Ephesians teach the same

truth concerning sin, salvation, redemption and life, but they are

diametrically opposed when it is a question of the constitution of the

Church.  This aspect of truth will come before us again, as `B' has raised

the question of the meaning of the phrase `the Jew first'; so we pass on to

the matter of the four Prison Epistles.  To be exact there are five epistles

marked as from `prison', but as Philemon is so personal, we usually leave it

out when speaking of the revelation of the Mystery.

The four Prison Epistles are the only source of instruction we have on

the distinctive character of the Church of the Mystery.  No other company was

chosen before the foundation of the world.  No other company is seated

together at the right hand of God.  So while we believe all Scripture is for

us, we do not believe that all of it is about us.  We recognize that in the

epistle to the Romans there is that which is permanent, e.g., the doctrine of

redemption, and also that which is passing, e.g., the teaching concerning the

wild olive graft.  We believe that unless the Church of the Mystery had had

beneath it the solid rock of Romans, it would have needed a special

revelation concerning these basic things.  These things are accepted and

assumed in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians and the time is occupied in

making all men see what is the dispensation of the Mystery (Eph. 3:9 R.V.),

with its own peculiar constitution, hope and sphere:

`It is claimed that Paul's words in Acts 28:28 are the announcement of

the new order.  Please compare with them his words in Acts 13:46,47 and

Acts 18:6 which to me seem absolutely identical.  In chapter 10:3,

section 5, of Things most surely believed, we read that "In this new

company there is an equality of membership never known before".  Why,