The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 202

It to do what it would not, so that men groan under the desperate oppression. Thns the, Le.w fulfils its pu_rpoee in _the me.nifestat_ion of sin,_and _ultim'ltP,[y leads trJ th" dehv:erance of the. behever. Bm overreach_es itself, _and 1s hoist with its own petard. Feelmg the workmg of death and <lreadmg the issue, we cry to him who "Wail manifested th~t he might de~troy th~ works of t~e. devil." T~e Law being imp0tent to pl'oduce holiness, anotherd1spensat10n was reqms1te, u.shered m. by Chriat, who brin0"3 0 the '' law of the Spirit of life" and pee.ce.-S. R. A. Vers. 22, 28.-The inner w111rfa;re, Even prior to their self-dedication to the service af God, men are conscious of the two opposing laws of which the text speaks. The conflict is intensified and its issue rendered certain by the saving knowledge of the truth, but it is not entirely abolished, All men can therefore echo in some degree the utterance of the apostle. l. OBEDIENOE TO THE LAW OF GOD JIIEABB A VICTORY WON OVER A PART OF SELF, 'fhere is a dualism in man; the lower appetites strive to subjugate the higher and nobler desires. However powerful the "law of the members," it cannot obliterate the remembrance of a superior Law. But the carnal inclinations may be so readily followed the.t there is hardly any fighting at all. Howbeit, when the" inward man" asserts his sway, and the fleshy impulse is denied, this implies that a battle has been waged. It is not natural to us nor easy to do right and to conquer evil Sin struggles hard; the spirit may be willing to comply with the Divine dictate, but the flesh is weak unto good, and often refuses to follow the lead of the spirit. Recall the temptation and conflict of Jesus Christ in Gethsemane. The law of the members, onr corporeal frame, often pleads speciously for the indulgence of a longing legitimate enough at another time or place, and this fact augments the severity of the warfare. II, CONSIDERATIONS ADAPTED TO STRENGTHEN THE OOHBATANT AGAINST =ENDE& TO THE LOWER PRINCIPLE, 1. The Law of God has authority on its side. The law of the mind is the genuine law; the other is a usurped dominion, promulgating an unlawful edict. Obedience to properly constitnted authorities is the path of safety and honour for communities and individuals. Recollect, therefore, that what you are urged to do by the law of the members is flat rebellion a,,<Tainst your King. Its force has no sovereignty behind it. 2. To succumb to the law of the members is to yield to sin and death. Reflect on the consequence of a defeat of the higher seli It implies slavery and destrnction. None but the conquerors can taste life here and receh-e its crown hereafter. 3. Only the Law of God can excite true delight. It is called "the law of the mind," because it is that which the clarified vision discerns as beauti.ic.1, and to which the purified judgment yields complete and lasting assent. To allow the body to govern the soul is to mar the plan of onr being. For the sake of ease and pleasure to gratify a present inclination is to prefer the temporal to the eternal, and shadows to the substance. Subsequent reaction testifies to the short-lived gratification of sensual appetites. This is trne of every case in which ignoble pursuits and aims have overridden the suggestions of a lofty self-sacrificing career. 4. Tlie God who has written his Law on the pages of Scripture, and graven it on tJie tablets of the mind, assul'es 11s of his unfailing suppO't't in the warfare. He he.s givl!D. us hii Sun as the Captain of our salvation. "By death he death's dark king defeated," and by his triumph and exaltation exhibited the superiority of goodness to every other method of obtainin~ ~olid peace and honour. We may fight with confidence, for our ~mo.ncipation from evil 1s sure. He turns our folly into wisdom and our weakness mto strength through his indwelling Spirit, the ever-present Christ.-S. R. A. Vere. 24, 26.-A cry and it, answer. Strange l.aneauage to issue from the lips of the great apostle of the Gentiles I from a chosen vessel unto honour, a man in labours e.bunda.nt and most blessed, with joy often rising to transport. Nor was it forced from him by some momentary excitement or the pressure of some temporary trouble. Nor is there any reference to outward afflictions and perseoutions. Had he cried out when under the ~onizing scourge or in the dismal dungeon, we had not been so surprised. But it is while he is enforcing truth dre.wn from his own inward experience h.i so reo.lizos the bitterness of tho spiritual confliot, that his language CWJ.Ilot be restr~ned withln the limits of oalm rensoning, and he bursts forth with the o:s:.chm:\tion, •• 0  THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THll: ROMANS. [oa. VIL 1-26,