III. TRll: GoD OF PF:A<'ll:. "The God of poace be with you all" (ver. 33). Pe1tce is l'~i>entially II part of the Divine character. No storms disturb his rost. No einfulueee i~ in his being, 11nd therefore no conflict in his moral nature. If the God of peaoe is "·ith us, then peace will pervade our own spirit and lire. Thero will be not only tho 1-eace t~at comes fro~ pa~on, but 11lso the J?C~ce that co;mes from the victory over mdwellmg and besettmg sm. There is a stnkmg phrase m the next ch1tpter: "'l'he Godo~ ~ e shall bruise Sa.tan under your foet shortly" (eh. xvi. 20). If tho God of peace 1s m our hearts, we shall cultivate peace with our fellow-men. "Live in peace• and the God of love and peace shall be with you" (2 Cor. xiii. 11). Thus we see hoV: profitable it is t-0 contemplat.e the character of Goo, the God of patience, the God of hope, the God of peace, so that endurance and forbearance, hopefulness and joy, unity and peace, may be manifest in our lives.-C. H. I. T"ers. 7-27.-The muhro.l ,-e'lationship of Jews and Gentiles. The apostle tries further to heal any existing differences between the various sections of the Christian community at Rome, a.nd still further to enforce the duties of charity, self-denial, and mutual helpfulness, by reminding them of how much they have in common. This is the true method of uniting Christians. Some Christians think they will succeed in bringing others to their view of the truth by exposing the errors of those who differ from them. Consequently, we have bitter controversies between the various denomi- nations., because Christians will persist in emphasizing the points on which they differ, rather than the points---often far more numerous and more important--on which they agree. To draw nearer to Christ, and to draw one another nearer to Christ, this is the true eirmicon. L Tmml lll1JTUAL B.ELATIO~SHIP TO CBll.IsT. "Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us" (ver. 7). Both have been received by Christ: why not, then, by one another? Why should our views of Episcopacy or Presbytery, Calvinism or Arminianism, int.erfere with our relationship as brethren in Christ? St. Paul shows that both Jews and Gentiles have e. direct personal interest in Christ and relationship to him. "Jesus Christ was e. Minister of the circumcision" (ver. 8). Therefore the Jew should not look upon Je.5111! of Nazareth as an alien, but as his kinsman according to the flesh. He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfil. But because he is a Jew; he is not, therefore, without an interest in the Gentiles. The apostle shows how even the Jewish writings looked forward to an incorporation of the Gentiles with the people of God, and to their sharing the blessings which the Messiah was to confer (vere. 10-12). "In him r,hall the Gentiles trust." How precious, then, should be the Name of J esns to all the children of humanity I How the universal brotherhood of Christiane is here enforced! II. TBEIB MUTUAL B.ELATIONBBIP TO THE GOSPEL. Not only was it predicted that both Jews and Gentiles would be joint partakers in the benefits of the Meseiah'e king- dom, bm;_in actual fact the gospel has come to both. St. Paul, who was himself a Jew, experienced the blessings of the gospel He, in his turn, communicated those blessings to the Gentiles. He was "the miniet.er of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God" (ver. 16). Troly, the gospel is a great reconciler. How it breaks down the prejudices of race and cl.ass and caste I Let the gospel only become a real, living power in our own heart e.ncl life, and we shall go forth, like St. Paul, to share its blessings with others, winning them by a spirit of love, no matter what our prejudices againet them may have been. IIL Tm:m DUTY OF MUTUAL HELPFULNESS. At the time of writing this Epistle St. Paul was on an errand which gave practical proof of the mutual sympathy between Gentile and Jewish Christians. He was on his way to Jerusalem (ver. 26). He was taking with him a contribution which the Gentile Christians of Macedonia and Achaia bad made for their Jewish brethren at Jerusalem, who at this time were in poverty (ver. 26). He takes the occasion to say that this act of generosity, cheerfully per- formed, was indeed a Christian duty. "For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things" (ver. 27). Here iB a reawn, for miB1Jwna1t"!J effwta among the Jewa. They have been the channel through which blessings have flowed to us: shall we not be the channel ihrough which the blessings of the gospel 11hall flow to them? Here is a reason/w tA. on. xv. 1-33.] THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE IlOMANS. 443
support of the Ohristian ministry. It is wise and prudent that those who a;e to be toochors and preachers of the Word, and pastors of the flock, should devote themselves to that work only. How, then, are they to be supported? By the generosity of those to whom they minister. If tho latter are "partakers of their spiritual thin<>'s, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things." Such mutual helpfulness ail Ohristians ought to cultivate towards one another.-C. H. L