The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 80

they become the slaves of unrighteousneas; and a hard master and terrible paymaster doea unrlghteouenese prove. The judgment of God will proceed on easily intdligible principles, It le not difficult for men to decide whether they are working good or working evil, It ie not reaching a conclusion after abstract speculation, nor h,,Idini a creed with multitudinous details. Only an omniscient Judge, however, could brin" to 0 light the hidden deeds of darknese, the secret thing, good or bad. IV. THE JUDGE WILL OBSERVE RIGOROUS IMPARTIALITY. With him "is no respect of persons." Jew and Greek shall be tried with due regard to the presence or absence of religious light (cf. Acts x. 35 in the history of Cornelius). It is impossible to bribe the almighty Arbiter or to overawe his tribunal. T~e anticipation o~ a Divine j11dgment has been e. comfort to the oppressed, remembenng that "One higher than the hiah regardeth;" and it will be a terror to the worker of iniquity, and an incentive to all noble deeds. "Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." None can complain that their condition makes it impossible to be patient in well-doing. Christ, our Pattern and our Power, offers his "very present help" to all who find the stress and strain of life too severe for mortal strength.--S. R. A. Ver. 21.-.A serm011, to teachers. The apostle supposes a. Jew to have listened com- placently to the long catalogue of crimes of which the heathen world has been guilty- crimes which blacken the lip to mention. And then the apostle turns strategically round upon the self-satisfied possessor of a Divine revelation to put the scathing inquiry, why he has not been freer from violations of the moral law. Advantage entails respon- sibility ; it was inconsistent to eagerly proselytize to a religion whlch the preacher observed more by precept than by example. A lesson here for all teachers of the Word: let their instructions mould their own lives I I. THE WORK OF TEACHING. 1. lts possi"bility. It presumes that some are able and willing to teach, and that others are equally in a position to learn. Knowledge begets the desire of communication to others; truth by its dissemination enriches all, leaves none the poorer. The possession of the Scriptures constitutes a. capacity in those who study to explain their meaning to others less happily situated for meditation. Besides the preachers of the gospel from the pulpit, we have a noble army of volunteers sacri- ficing their ease each Lord's day to impart to the young what they themselves have learned of Christ. And the youthful mind is plastic, its heart ea.sily impressed. 2. Its importance. Education is a work of beginnings, of seed-sowing, of filling the pockets with tree.sure in the shape of facts and principles to be afterwards used, applied, recog- nized, in fulness of meaning. The mind must be fed as well as the body, or we have dwarfed, stunted souls, miserable and corrupt. To neglect the garden is to fill it with weeds. We insufficiently value acquisitions whose worth cannot be tabulated in mone- tary figures. Of what priceless value is a new happy inspiring thought of God! To be led where we can get a better sight of Christ and his salvation, is surely a service for which we can in no wise adequately thank or pay our guide. 3. Its difficulty. Some hesitate to teach unless they can answer every objection which may be urged ll:,,"'ll.inst the truth they enforce. And on religious subjects there is no end to the queries which may be started. There are many adverse influences preventing the ready reception of the facts and doctrines of Christianity, or checking the subsequent advance in learning. Recall our Lord's parable of the sower, and its picture of the multiform ways in which sin works against the leaven of the truth. There is a roseate and there is a practical view of Sunday school work. Yet, whilst we would not forget the restlessness of the young, and the far aim of making them" wise unto salvation" so frequently hindered by unlovely homes, neither should any despair, but remember they are wielding the sword of the Spirit, and that to God e.11 hearts are open. Let preachers think of the Lord and his apostles as failing to conquer the opposition and win the assent of all their hearers, and, instead of renouncing toil, remember that they are not responsible for success, but only for effort. II. THE REFLEX INFLUENCE OF TEACHING ON TIDI TEACHERS. 1. I11citas to their oum culture. There is the felt necessity of bein" in advance of the le:\rners. The more we know !nd the more thoroughly and clearly ~e understand it, thti gM1ter the enjo:--- roent and the euooess of the work. We often take pains for the sake of others which we eho11ld reject for ,ureelves. How can we teach if we do not instruct ourselvc~?  74 THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMAl'l"S. [oH, IL 1-29.