LiTKRATURE.— J. O. Dvkes, Manifesto of the King, 351 ; J. LI. Davies, Spirittial Apprehension, 244 ; "S. Cox, Biblical Ex- positions, 195 ; W. M. Sinclair, Christ and our Times, 279 ; \V. Dickie, Culture of the Spiritual Life, 1S3 ; Edersheim, Tfie Temple : Its Ministry and Services; works on Jewish Antiqq. ; the Conun. in loc.
S. J. Ramsay Sibbald. LIBERTY.— Christ and His lirst disciples clearly regarded liberty as an essential of the highest re- ligious life. He begins His mission at Nazareth with the words of Isaiah that His work was ' to set at literty them that are bruised ' ( Lk 4^^). Bj- His contrast of the Mosaic law with His o^\ti ' I say unto you ' of Mt 5--- ^' ^, He declares His dis- ciples to be free of the ancient law ; their worship no longer fettered bj" place (Jn 4-') ; their verj" Sabbath, which had held them together in the Capti^^ty, an institution to l>e sanely used for any kind of good work and any sinless pleasure (Mk 2-', Mt 12*, Lk 5'"*). New wine-skins must be made for the new wine (Mk 2-, Lk 6^). The dis- ciple must hold himself entirely at liberty from the things of the world for the world's sake ; he must stand 'with loins girded about and lamp burning' (Lk 12*^), unhindered by multitudinous possessions (Lk 12^'), not anxious as to tlie lesser matters of clothing, food, and shelter (Mt 6-', Lk 12--I, taking 'no bread, no wallet, no money,' w'.iereon he may come to depend too much (Lk 9* 10^ Mt 10'*, Mk 6*). If the rich young man would Ije perfect, he must learn to l>e the fi'ee master of his riches, not their slave, even though he may have entirely to disperse them in order to a.ssure himself of his 'spiritual li1>erty (Mt 19^\ Lk 18-). In all things the disciple must te absolutely free for his mission, and 'leave the dead to bury their o^\■n dead ' (Mt 8-, Lk ^'). His utterance itself must partake of the same liberty, not crippled Vjy the slow movement of the intellectual faculties, but made vi\ad bj- immediate contact with the Holy Spirit : ' Settle it therefore in youi- hearts not to meditate Ijeforeliand liow to answer ' (Lk 2P^, Mk 13", Mt W^). Christ promises that the disciple V ho prizes His word sliall come to know the gieater fulness of truth, and that revelation shall liljerate him ; he shall no longer 1>e a bond-servant of sin (it would be impossible, ha\"ing once seen the light) ; he shall be free with all the liljerties of sonship ( Jn
g3i!. S4-3«v
Jesus Himself exhibits the surprises which the • law of liljerty ' (Ja l"-») has M-ithin it. He tells of the master who, finding his servants alert and faithful, flings conventionality to the winds, ' girds
* One of the few sa\ings of our Lord quoted outside the Gosi)els commends liberality (Ac 2t>»).
himself, makes them sit do^^"n to meat, and him- .self .ser\-es them ' (Lk \=1^'). He tells His host that it were a higher thing to dare to invite, not his relatives and wealthy friends, but the poor, the lame, the blind, who could never recompense him (Lk 14^-'). In dealing with the woman taken in sin,* He takes the course of the moment, as novel as it is searching in its free way (Jn S^'"). The cruse of precious ointment is fooketl at as the symlxjl of an affectionate impulse, more to l>e valued than a calcidated act of philanthropy— sell- ing and giving to the poor (Mk 14', Mt 26'^-i-, Jn 125). Pharisees are startled at His fiank inter- course with publicans and sinners (Mk 2^*, Lk 5*' 15-). In vain He likens the liljerty of the Spirit to the wind ' that bloweth where it* listeth ' ( Jn 3-) ; few can understand the variety of the workings of the Divine Spirit in man, Wisdom only being justified by 'all her children' (Mk Ips, Lk 7^), to the confusion often of those who cannot com- prehend a John the Bajjtist abstaining and the Son of man 'eating and drinking.' There are times when Christ seems deliberately to lead His hearers, and especially the formalists among them, into problems that find no .solution in 'tiieLaw,' but that compel an exercise of liberty of judgmient, as in the ' Bender unto Csesar the things that are Caesar's' (Lk 20^, Mt 22"^), 'the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?' (Lk 20*), and the question, ' Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day. or not ?' (Mk 3^ Lk 6" 14»). The principle of true liberty, as our Lord taught and lived it, would go far in encouraging the believers in ' the reunion of Christendom,' especially such a command as ' For- bid him not : for he that is not against you is for you' (Lk 9*').