3. The Jews designated by the term "law" the entire Old Testament, less in the literary sense, according to which the " prophets " were added, to complete the idea of the volume, than in the theological sense, all the other books being thus regarded as corollaries of the Mosaic legislation. It may be boldly affirmed that in most of the passages in which St. Paul makes use of the word law, it is in the historical or literary sense ; the allusion is to the Old Testament as a whole, not to the Pentateuch in particular. On this account the term has most frequently that which was called in the old theology the economic signification — that is, it stands for the entire Old Testament economy.
4. But in the present passage, as often elsewhere in St. Paul's Epistles, the word " law " signifies purely and simply the Law of Moses as contained in the Pentateuch, or even more particularly, the Ten Commandments. It is true that the word in the original is without the article — " law " simply, not " the law " ; and it is important to observe that distinction generally. As Lightfoot says : " The distinction between " law " and " the law " is very commonly disregarded, and yet it is full of significance. Behind the concrete representation — the Mosaic Law itself — St. Paul sees an imperious principle, an overwhelming presence, antagon- istic to grace, to liberty, to spirit, and (in some aspects), even to life — abstract law, which, though the Mosaic ordinances are its most signal and complete embodiment, nevertheless is not exhausted therein, but exerts its crushing power over the conscience in diverse manifestations. The one — the concrete and special — is " the law " ; the other — the abstract and universal —is" law." 1
* Sevision of the New Testament, 110.
ROMANS XIII. lo 365
But in spite of this, there is little doubt that in the present passage the Apostle's thought is of the Law of Moses, and that it is concentrated on that part of the Law of Moses which we call the Decalogue. Not that we are bound to restrict the law which is fulfilled by love to the Ten Commandments. While the argument of the passage is satisfied in that way, love meets not only the negative demands of the Decalogue but also the positive precepts of the Sermon on the Mount. For viewed in its idea and essence as a revelation of God's will, " law " requires for its fulfilment that we should not only cease to do evil, but also learn to do well.
The subject is the fulfilment of the Law. Its fulfilment is to be contrasted with partial or imperfect obedience to it. So we have these three divisions — I. Obeying the Law. II. Fulfilling the Law. III. Love the Fulfilment of the Law.
I.
Obeying the Law.
There are ways in which the Law may be obeyed without being fulfilled.
1. The law may be obeyed through fear ; or on account of the punishment which would follow its violation. A person may pay his debts, for instance, because, if he does not, he will go to prison. But you can never be quite sure that the law is really obeyed when you appeal only to fear. If a man is a clever scoundrel he may avoid detection, or, if detected, he may perhaps be able to make his escape before the punishment can be inflicted. And a stupid scoundrel, probably not knowing that he is stupid, will often run a similar risk. Thus, so long as the law depends solely upon fear for its fulfilment, however vigilant may be our police, however upright our courts of justice, however severe may be the condemnation of society, we have no security for its fulfil- ment, and as a matter of fact we know that it is constantly being violated.
And certainly the law of God can never be obeyed through fear. Despots may feel flattered as they see a population pale
366 LOVE AND THE LAW
with terror at their power. Tfiey may think themselves all the safer when their subjects quail before them. And they may not care much, if only outward obedience is rendered, whether there be behind it a feeling of loyalty or not. But we cannot submit to or obey God in any such manner. He is a King and a Father who asks for love — asks for it because He gives His love to us. He says, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God " ; not, " Thou shalt dread the Lord thy God." He is a Monarch whose laws we cannot obey except by loving Him. If there are words we would speak, but that we dread God, we have spoken them in our hearts. If there are deeds we would do, but that we dread God, we have already done them in our hearts. He clearly and strikingly discriminates between what seems obedience and what is. " This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips ; but their heart is far from me."
^ Every father fathoms the secret of obedience. You know that it is not worth the name of obedience if your child serves you from dread of consequences. You may have two children, one of whom is self-willed and fulfils your commands only from fear. He may fulfil them with strict literalness, doing exactly what you order, and no more. He may be most careful not to be found wanting in any particular, but you have reason to know that this is from no love of you or of your commands, but from dread of the consequences. Another obeys because he loves; perhaps he is not quite so punctilious in his obedience as the other; there may be occasional failure, occasional forgetfulness, blunders every now and then ; but you know that, under all, there is a real love which is never more wounded than when you are wounded. Which of these two do you feel most fulfils your law ? which meets most your fatherly sense of what is due to you ? in which of them have you most confidence, not only when they are in your sight, but when they are out of your sight ? You do not hesitate about the answer ; and if the first child were only to do some act of obedience to you because he had begun to love you, you would feel that that one act weighed more than all the deeds of hollow servility he had ever performed. You would feel that love was the fulfilling of the law.^