The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 40

hut may lrn,c n ro11crC'fo form and substantial reality, through the definite lince of thought, foC'ling, and net.ion, which law mnrks out. Or, as that Apostle said, who of nil men spoke most fully and most profoundly of love both to God and to man: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God nnd keep liis com- mandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep bis commandments." 1 And so 1he Lor<l himself 1iaid: "Re tlrnt hath my commandment.sand keopeth them, he it is that loveth me.'' 1 }'or sublime ideas as to the being nnd perfections of the Infinite nnd Eternal, even as to his love, are in themselves too often unfruitful,•indeed unreal: the finit,e mind, not directed by God's commandments, soon loses its hold of these ideas, before their shadowy forms can assume any substance; and perhaps at last n.irvfina or absorption into deity,-an escape from individual human existence into indefinite, impersonal being,-is tlie highest hope of the bewildered soul. From nil these profitless and dangerous drea.ms the law is sent to awaken man to realities, that is, t-0 his own duties and responsibilities which ho owes to God, the God..of love, his Creator and his Father. 35. The purpose of our argument being t-0 mark out the leading prinoiples of the Divine law as revealed in the Pentateuch, rather than t-0 discuss details, it will be unnecessary to enter at length on that which belongs to the office of the commentator or expositor, the interpretation of the several commandments. It will lie sufficient to explain briefly the scope of each, and its connection witli our· previous investi- gations. That these commandments were ten in number is certain from Scripture itself, 3 and it is also certain that the division must be such that in each command- ment one distinct principle of la.w is enunciated, and one only. The question as to the distribution of the ten commandments between the two tables is more difficult to decide and of less practical importance. There is nothing in the history to indicate that there was nny distinction between the laws on each table; nor do the words of our Lord which distinguish the first and great commandment as that of love to God, and the .second, "like unto it," as love to our neighbour, decide the question. For the two classes -0£ duties so interpenetrate one another, and the whole law so hangs on t11at which man owes to God, that the attempt to draw any broad line between the commandments that belong to our duty to God, and those that tee.eh our duty to our neighbour, can never be quite satisfactory. For example, the Jaw as to the. seventh day is in express words connected with our duty to man as well as with· that which we owe to God. The law of filial obedience is, as has often been remarked, a kind of link between our duties t-0 God and to man, for it is as representing God to us that honour is due to parents and others in authority. The prohibition of adultery a.gain cannot but be interpreted to include many sins which are directly offences against God's holiness, but which affect only remotely and indirectly the welfare of our neigh- bour. Indeed, all those interpretations of the several commandments which are suggested by the general principle of the last of them, al,,: i1n9uµ1J<1uc,' introduces the element of our duty to God as that which is primary and most essential. For in i,,-,f!uµia the first evil is, that it is a desire for that which is not given .us by Goel, or which is not in our path of duty to him ; 6 the second evil, which is not always pr<i- sent, foat it be!ongs to our neighbour. Without then attempting to classify the corn mcmdments under those which refer to our duty to God and those which contain our 1 1 John v. 2, 3. 2 John xiv. 21. Cf. also vers. 15, 23, 24; xv. 10. i Exod. xx.xiv. 28; Deut. iv. 13 ; x. 4. ' Of. Rom. vii. 7. It may Le observed that the argumont c.f St. Paul itself is sufficient to prove that the law against l1rdivµia cannot be divided into two. " Compare our Lord's temptation to turn stones into bread, and again to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple, ae illustrations of thi11.  IN'l'HODUCTION TO THE PF.NTATIWCH. xxvii