The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 452

I. E"l"ERT BEXEFl'I' RF.CEIVED LAYS US UNDER AN OBLIGATION TO OUB DENEFAOTORB, As st<'wim1s of the gospel the saints in Judroa hnd betrayed their trust if guilty silence restrained their lips from communicating to the world the panacea revee.led for hume.n ill. But this fuct. did not set the Grreks free from indebtedness to the Churches which recognizing t-heir responsibility, had sent to them the messa.~ of life. Whatever th~ reason that has procured us some kindness or favour, gratitnae is incumbent upon UB,! Not to acknowledge it betrays b&.seness of soul. And the gree.test benefits are those pertaining t-0 our spiritual. well-being. These are nobler, more satisfying, more le.sting than any treasures of gold or marble, any appeasing of temporal hunger or ne.kedness, or an:r rescue from earthly distress or danger. The knowledge, the consolation, the stimulus which e. missione.ry, e. teacher, or a pastor imparts are of inoomparable value. Is it e. matter for wonder that, in return for spiritual gifts, men bestow of their carnal things? Those who cle.mour for a cheap ministry display woeful inappreciation of the riches of Christ. The return which our Lord demands for his own self-sacrifice is that his servants and brethren be honourably treated and succoured. He still regards his poor ; hence our collections at the Lord's Supper. Il. To THE RIGHT-KTh'DED THE DISCHARGE OF SUOH AN OBLIGATION IS A BOUBOE OJI' PLEASURE. Not in order to get rid of any sense of liability ; this would be mean, even if possible; but we are glad of a.n opportunity of visibly certifying our gratitude. The outward expression of any inward feeling is a delight. A generous emotion ministers a pure joy, which ever seeks for ways and means of demonstration. The memory of Christ's pit of himself to us bestirs us to seek out worthy objects, needy souls on whom the mantle of charity may fittingly fall. "He became poor for our sakes." The disinclination to give liberally melt.s away under the impulse of Divine love. Men who grudge the demands of the tax-eollector will voluntarily, cheerfully contribute to the· dissemination of Christian troth. "The poorest poor Long for some moments in a weary life When they can know and feel the.t they have been Themselves, the fathers and the dealers out Of some small blessings; have been kind to suoh As needed kindness; for this single cause, That we have all of us one human hee.rt." That is the office of religion to ma.ke the stem face of duty break forth into a smile. The task blossoms into a joy; one kind act prompts to further and larger benevolence. III. THE JI.A.TORE .um EXTE!iT OJI' THE REQUITAL MUST BE :MEASURED BY OUR RESOURCES AliD ':CHE wANTS OJI' OTHERS. God provides for his family by the mutual interdependence and assistance of the members thereof. Whilst unlimited competition and the survival of the strongest tend to make life a battle of hell, unrestricted help- fulness blesses every heart and land. The Christian law of supply and demand is designed to correct the injuries and supplement the deficiencies of close-fisted political economy. Power is, rightly understood, a capacity to help, not a. weapon of destruction to the weak. The men of leisure can visit the sick and suffering; the rich have ability to relieve the needy; and the cultured may bestow on others the results of their mental diligence. "Sireh as I have give I yon." "It is accepted according to that a man bath." ~ the world is one great market supplied by every land, so the special dis- tress of one country appeals to all for relief. " We do not well, if this be a day of good tidinga, and we hold our pcace."-S. R• .A. Ver. 29.-.A promised visit. A great writer in her preface to a story of Florence pictures an inhabitant revisiting his city after four centuries. He notes many che.nges. The towers and walls are gone; ilifferent questions a.re mooted in trade, scholarship, and p:,litics; garments of altered texture. and form are wom. Du~ as t~e sunlight and sila<lows are the same, so the dawn still breaks upon rosy sleepmg children and hard- 1ana.ed labourers arising to their toil; the fia.me chants are sung in the ohurchee, and ti:,.e facet! of worshippers still tum to the same image of Divine anguish for a beneficent er,d. Like the river-courses which shape the lives of men, ao those other currents wr,ich ebb and flow in human hearts have scarcely altered, pulsating t.o the so.me 1,&_-0£, the aani.e great love, 11,nd t,errors. 1'he broad features of the moral la.ndsoape oR, xv. 1-88.] THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 451