The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 420

But God may havo 11s gre11t II work for you to do ae he had for them. What 1111 influ- enco for good Ohrietian parents may exercise upon their children, with far-reaching results to the world I The faithful eabbath-echool teacheT may leaven with gospel truth young minds that may yet control the destinies of II nation. Younu women, by the power of their own Christian character, may change for the better th~ muddy current of many II godless life. The great matter is for every one of UB to live near to God, to oultiv11te e. Obrist-like character, and then our life is sure to be a blessing. You fflllUt v,a,llo with God if you would have weight with men. Persona.I holiness is the key to personal influence for good. II. TBl!I mFLUENOE Wfil0H ONE MAN MA y EXERCISE FOB EVIL, The wise man says, "One sinner destroyeth much good." Everyday experience will rnpply many illustra- tions of this truth. One bad man, one bad woman, will be a centre or corruption to the whole circle in which they move. One bad boy often corrupts a whole school. How terrible is the power of evil to propagate itself I How terrible is the gnilt of th086 who have become the corrupter& of others I The evil that we do has consequences far beyond the injury that we may do to ourselves. "Unto a loving mother oft We all have sent, without a doubt, Fnll many a hard and careleBB word, That now we never can rub out; For crnel words out deeper far Than diamond on the window-pane: And, oft recalled in after-years, They wound her o'er and o'er e.ge.in. "So, in our daily walk and life, We write and do e.nd say the thing We never can undo nor stay With any futnre sorrowing. We carve oureel vee on bee.ting hearts I Ah I then, how wise to pause and doubt, To blend with love and thonght our words, Because we cannot rnb them out I " The great poet of Scotland, Robert Burns, on his dying bed wished that he conld have recalled some of the foolish things that he had written. But it was too lace. Better far to leave the wrong undone than afterwards to regret the doing of it. "None of us liveth to himself," should be constantly before our minds as a restraining memory tu keep us from evil, and an inspiring memory that will cheer us on to make the world better th11n we have found it.-C. H. L Vere. 10-23 (with eh. xv. 1-3).-Three laws of (Jhristian life. In these closing verses of the fourteenth chapter and the opening verses of the fifteenth, three principles are laid down, one or other or e.ll of which would cover almost every case of difference between fellow-Christie.ns. These are- I. THE LAW OF CBBISTIAN CHARITY. Where we differ from our fellow-Christians in details of doctrine, worship, or practice, we are very prone to be uncharitable in our judgments. We are inclined to doubt their Christianity because they do not just see as we do on such matters. One great fact the apostle would have us remember when we are tempted to condemn our brethren. It is the fact of the judgment to come. "Why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ" (ver. 10). "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let ue not therefore judge one another any more" (vers. 12, 13). It is not we who a.re to be the judges of our fellow-Chris- tiane, but God. We should not like the.t they would be our judges: then why should we judge them, Tho thought that we ourselves must stand bofore a higher jndgment- scat, whero all our sins and secret thou~hts and unchristian motives shall be known, should make us more cautious in our condemnation of others. And, as ~"Urds our fellow-Christians, is it not enough for us that God will judge them? Surely we may leave their trial with conthlouco in bis hands. II. 'l'mll LAW OF CuBIS'l'IAN BELF·DKNIAL, 'rhore is a gradual progress in the prin- ROUANB, 2B U8 THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS, [on:, xiv. 1-28,