The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 308

a heathen e11n grasp the ide11s of God's holiness and truth and purity, eo 11coustomod la he t-0 think of gods whose qualities are the very opposite of these, Even in our Christia:n land, unhappily, there are places i!1 our large cities eo ne~leoted and degraded that children ha'l"e grown up without bearing about God. And m such oases it baa been found ,ery difficult to con,ey at first an idea of God's being-his greatness, hie holiness, his mercy, and his love. " How shall they believe in l1im of whom. they liaw ,10t J,eard '" Hence, when the heat.hen learn of the love of God and the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, they often ask the question, "Why did you not send and tell us sooner?" No wonder that with sorrow fol hearts they ask the question, as they think of loved ones who have passed away without hearing the glad tidings. How sad. is the e-0ndition of millions of the heathen without the knowledge of the oruoified Saviour! m ... How SBAtL THEY BEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER?" yes, the preaching of the goopel is still the a,,crency that is t-0 regenerate the world. It was the preaching of the gospel that was the means of converting thousands upon the Day of Pentecost. It was the preaching of the gospel which overthrew the idols of ancient Rome. It was the preaching of the gospeliwhich brought about the Protestant Reformation. "The Word," said :Martin Luther over and over a,,a-ain, "it was the Word that did it all." It was the preaching of the gospel that overthrew the idols of Madagascar, and that has already brought civilization and peace and contentment into many of the islands of the sea. It is good t.o circnlat.e the Word of God in every language. But it is necessary also to have the living preachers. " Go ye therefore into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." It needs the living preacher to be a living witness to the trutb and power of the gospel-the full heart overflowing with love to Christ and love to souls; the ripe el:p&ience; the fnlness of the Spirit. The Ethiopian treasurer had the Word of God in his hand as he returned in his chariot from Jerusalem. But he was not savingly converted until Philip began at the Scriptures which he was reading, and " preached unto him Jesus" (Acts viii 36). But the number of missionaries is still very small in comparison with the millions of heathen who have not yet heard the gospel message. "How shall they hear without a preacher?" IV. "How l!lllLL THEY PREACH, EXCEPT THEY BE SENT'/" This is the intensely practical question. If we realize the darkness and misery of heathen lands, if we are really thankful for the unspeakable blessings which the gospel has brought to us, wl:;.at are we doing to send the message of salvation to those who sit in darkness? 1. We oan help ro send out mwionaries lJy our prayers. " The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few ; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers int.o his harvest." 2. We can help U> send out missionaries by our gifts. We need to understand, not merely the duty of giving, but the privilege of giving. Surely it is a glorious privilege to be a labourer together with God. Upon the Christian Church is laid the responsibility of preaching the gospel to all nations. .And there is this blessed encouragement: 3. If the last of these parts of mission work, of which the apostle speaks, itJ fulfilled, the rest are all sure to follow. If missionaries are sent, then there will be the preaching, the hearing, and, in God's own good time, the believing and the salvation of sonls. His Word shall not return unto him void. Thus by our sending we may be the means of saving.-C. H. L Ver. 15.-17ie beauty of the -gospel. The words, " How beautiful are the feet I " are plainly a figurative expre6Bion. This expression signifies the delight with which the messenger of peace is hailed, or, in other words, how welcome is the message which he bri~. In Isaiah (Iii. 7) it reads, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet, c,f hlm that briogeth good tiding,, that publisheth peace!" as if the reference was tc, the ir,.babit.ante c,f some beleaguered city looking out for the meBBengers of peace, a.r.d ss they behold them ap~g, fleet of foot, upon ~he mounta!,n-top, they ex.cl.aim, "Hc,w beautiful upon the moUiltaJD8 are the feet of him that bnngeth good tidings, that publisheth pr:a.ce I" Buch a description the apostle here applies to the messengers c,f the gc,spel. L THE GOBPEL u llEAUTlFUL 111 THE TBUTRB IT TBAOBES. The truthl of the gospel a.rt: here called " glad tidings of good things." '!'Lis, in fact, is the very meaning of the word "gUl!pel "-glad tidiug11 c,r good news. 1. TMnk what thf go,pel teache• 1u ub01t'  011. x.1-21.] THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 307