The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 106

lamp unto my feeL," eto. They were II linily or11cles1" :M contrasted with the dim, unl'€rtain, impotent instructions of the nnillumlned world. They Imparted hope, intim11ted the mercy of God, and the possibility of pardon through eacrifioe, They taught a future life, eo that Martha could eay to our Lord, 11 I know that my brother ia:hall rise again." The very fact that theee oracles were committed to writing was no little a.id t-0warde their intelligibleness and influence. Heathendom questioned in its childhood, and still doubted in its old age. ~piritual truth may be said to have been unknown except to Israel. Into what lofty regions of spiritual vision oould the psalmis~ and prophets soar, on wings of knowledge &nd faith nourished by the writings they possessed I Ill. AN APPEAL TO MODERN READERS. Analogous reasoning may be applied to our condition. The cheap multiplication of copies of the Scriptures, and the many sea.sons and media of exposition ava.ilable, vastly augment our advantages. Besides, we have the light which the New Testament throws upon the attribut-,s and fulfilled purposes of God. Our function, like that of Israel, is twofold-to learn and to teach. 1. Let u, vtiliz£ th£ written Word fO'f' our own Wwof. Picture the folly of a sailor not consulting his cha.rt, or the traveller failing to guide his steps by his manual. Too many a sexton cares for the material fabric, and overlooks the doctrines and worship to which the temple is subservient. Without disparaging other literature, how dark were the world of lett.ers if this sun were blotted out I The following verse (ver. 3) speaks of the chief hindran,:;e to profiting by tk oracles, viz. a want of faith. Faith is the practical employment of gospel truth; not the comprehending of all its connections and relationships, or the sounding of ite fathomless depths with our tiny plummet, but the utilization of its plain declarations and directions. The road to the cross no wayfarer can mistake. 2. We too nave tk Bwle as a sacred charge for the benefit of our fellows. Israel was to serve all generations and all races of mankind, and the Church of Christ exists for no exclusive selfish ends, but for the enlightenment of every home and land. The very position of Great Britain in the carrying-trade of the globe marks our glory and responsi'bility. To have a deposit entrusted to our care involves vigilance lest it EUffer damage. A mutilated library condemns ite guardians, and closed doors mean the ffight mthe glory of the Lord from the sa.nctuary.-S. B. A. V em. 5--8.-Fal.ae conc1,vsicms eona!1"11,ing sin. Like human works, Divine operations are liable t.o misconstruction. The serpent secretes poison from wholesome food. And the redemptive love of God may be perverted into a justification of sinful conduct by those who wish for an excuse, and fancy they find it in the very universality of unrighteousness which the apostle has demonstrated. For this universality, they say, shows that to sin is natural, and therefore not blameworthy. ADd they derive a further reason for the irresponsible and inculpable character of man's sin in the splendour of the vindication of Divine righteousness, which is the outcome of human depravity. Let us state the truth in three propositions. L Sn, IB OVERRULED BY GoD TO GREATER GOOD. The work of the Law evidenced in man's accusing conscience, and in the state of degradation and misery to which a sinful career reduces man, becomes a convincing testimony that tl.Le Governor of the unive!"lle sets his face against evil. The dark background throws into bright relief the holiness of the Most High. Man learns more of his own nature through sin thnn he could otherwise have known, and perhaps realizes better the vast interval between the creature and the Creator. But especially in the gospel scheme of ealvation, and in its effects upon those who heartily receive its benefits, doas the righteousness of God shine out conspicuoUB, Our weakness and folly are the theatre for the display of hi,, trall80elldent grace and power. The loBB of Eden is naught compared with the gain of a heavenly paradise. Like the oyster whose fretting at the noxious intrusion produces the llllltrous pearl, or like the clouds which reflect and magnify the effulgence of the aetting sun, so has man's fall furnished scope for the exhibition of love that stoops to suffering in order to redeem, and righteoueneBB that triumphs over all the ravages of sin and death. Man redeemed is to be raised to a higher plane; having ta.Bted the knowledge of good and evil, he is thereby dleoiplined, renewed, through a mort glorious manifestation of his Maker's wisdom and self-sacrifice. to a nobler end, Like a orypt opened under &D orga.o, deeper notes and a richer harmony shell ree!llt ott, nt.1-81.] THE EPJBTtE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 101