The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 314

1.1ame motive actuates &ll these. Yet the'.I"" all bear witness to man's anxioty to b righte,..,u~ in the sight of the Supreme Deing, and those l\re l\bnormally constituted who IU'e never conscious of this yMrning. It Wll8 not this strong desire for righteous- ness which the apostle tried to alter in the Jews, but the antiquated imperfect method to which t-hey still clung aft.er the one sure way of justification through faith in Ohrist blld been proclaimed. I. CHRIST THE TERKINATION OF THE LEGAL ECONOMY, The rending of the veil at the Crucifix.ion indi0&ted the passing away of the old dispensation, with all its gorgeous rites and e:i.:terna.l splendour. There arose another order of priesthood, from which the exclusiveness of the former caste was absent. Jesus the High Priest came not of the tribe of Le,·i. It is no longer necessary to become a Jew in order to reap the privileges of access to God. Christ has released. men from the yoke of the Law, with its fasts and fea.st.s, its observance of days and seasons. He has changed our state from pupilage to manhood; from slavery to a " reasonable service." Wherever a Christian is found, there is a spiritual priest and a living temple; wherever Christians meet, there is a holy convocation. The tabernacle disappeared when the temple was erected, and the earthly temple is no longer needed when the glorious building rises, reared without ha.nds. The Jews who would not receive this teaching had to be convinced, by the capture of Jerusalem and the burning of their "beautiful house," that "the old order changed, giving place t.o new." The forerunner of Christ was the last of the Old Testament prophets. IL CHRIST THE DESIGN AND SCOPE OF THE LEVITIOAL DISPENSATION. We cannot understand the Law unless we rega.rd it a.s pointing unmistakably to the coming Messiah, preparing bis way; a preliminary education of man.kind and of one nation in particular; like a st.ock on which a new rose is to be grafted. The sacrifices, the moral and ceremonial precepts, were predictive, were prophecy acted in symbol and type. The chrysalis displays tokens of the winged perfect insect. "The Law hath been our tntor to bring us unto Christ." So that when men inquire, "To what purpose was all this cost of legislation and ritual?" the reply is that it paved the way for something better; it was the "shlldow of good things to come." m CHRIST THE REALIZATION OF THE Moure mEAL, The holiness which the Law ever kept in view, endeavouring to raise men to its standard of righteousness, has been exemplified in Jesus Christ. Wherein the Law was weak, Christ was strong. His condemnation of sin was thorough and effective, and the perfection of his sacrifice renders any subsequent atonement need.less. To enter into the spirit of his offering is to "purge the conscience from dead works" and to give rest and peace to the troubled -the region in which the Law was inoperative. The message of Divine love sounding from the cross has a constraining influence over the affections and life of the Christian, which the Law aimed at and failed to achieve. New Testament saints have frequently attained to an enlightenment of mind and conformity to the Divine will which was sighed &ft.er in vain by patriarch, psalmist, and prophet. Christ brings bis followers into communion with God, and by faith in him a.re they sanctified. Love is proved a stronger principle than terror, knowledge than ignorance, example than precept. In abro!!Bting, Christ fulfils the Law. eo°!iCLUBIO!i. See, then. wha.t faith does. It loolcs at Christ instead of a Law oJ ardina;nces. It iB no longer tied by enactments and fearful of non-compliance, for it beholds the face of Jesus, "the Lamb 8.11 it had been slain." We may trust Christ as our Red<::emer and Guide, without understanding or acknowledging all these points of superiority over the former covenant ; as a w?ma_n kno_ws she will be benefited by a. certain medicine, though she could not name its rngredients, nor state the method of its working; or as a man may jo~rney on the railw~y w_ho comprehends li~tle of th,e application of steam to locomotives, etc. And faith is content to submit to Gods righteuusness, instead of seeking to establish its own. It relies not upon personal desert but upon the provisions of mercy furnished in Christ. It is humble, and triefi not to' patch together a. human garment to hide deformities and deficiencies, Accepting the gracioue offer of God, faith discovers new elements of strength and joy in the very '1Dsition a.l!IIUIIled.-S. B. A. Vera. 8-10.-Th, 'IIJClfd qf faith. Mm a:e quick to excUBe their non-acce_ptanoe of utt. x. 1-21,l T1IE EPISTLE OF PA tJL TO TlIE ROMANS.