anything, but to love one another" (Rom. xiii. 8). The counsel of the apostle seems to suggest the existence in Ga.Jatia of factious quarrels and unchristian isolations. Ver. 14.-The spirit of the Law. Mutual service was only possible 'through·rnutual 1ove, and this love was exp!'essly commanded in the Law, which says," 'l'hou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." I. WHAT IS THE LAW WHIOB FINDS ITS FULFil,lllENT IN LOVE? It is not the law of Christ, nor the law of libertr, nor the law of the Spirit of life, but the very Law of which the apostle has been spea.krng all through the Epistle. His readers could •not have understood him if he had used the term "Law" in a -different sense. It follows, therefore that the Law must still be in force, because its essential commandment, love, remain~ for perpetual fulfilment. Love was always, even in Old 'restament times, the fulfil- ment of the Law. The sum of the Decalogue is love (Matt. xxii. 40). The apostle says, "He that loveth another hatb fulfilled the Law" (Rom. xiii. 8, 9); but this does not imply, as Antinomians say, that if we have love we have nothing to do with the Law. Believers are exhorted, in the 1iassage quoted, to love one another 9n the ground of its being a requirement of the Law. It is absurd, then, for the Antinomians to talk of love as being higher than Law, for love is just the fulfilling of the Law, and nothing more. A perfect love would keep the whole Law. It ·is, therefore, absurd for Roman Catholics to affirm tha.t love justifies as well a.s faith, because love fulfils the Law. Sin hinders the perfection of our obedience, and therefore love cannot. perfectly fulfil the Law. IL How LOVING oUB 1'"EIGHBOUB FULFILS THE LAw: It is the wa.nt·oflove tha.tleads men to commit murder, adultery, theft, false witness. If we rightly loved our neigh- bour, these sins would be impossible. But.we cannot rightly Jove our neighbour till,we have loved God. " He that loveth not his brother whom he .bath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" "This is the love of.God, that (f11a) we may keep his commandments." 'l'here is a necessary connection between love to God and love to our neighbour (1 Cor. viii. 1-3). III. THERE IS NOTHING-HIGHER IN THE SPHERE OF DUTY TRAN THIS LOVE, The Posi- tivists assume that they have discovered in" altruism" a. principle higher than· either Law or gospel ever taught. Whereas we a.re commanded in Scripture to love our neighbour a.s ourselves, the Positivists say that we ought to love him better than ourselves. We are to deny ourselves for the sake of others. This is Christ's idea.; but, if there be no future life, it would be the mark of a. fool, and· not of ,a. hero; to .deny myself for anybody. The idea. of altruism, however, fails to realize itself in the lives of Positivists. Besides, if one's own happiness ought not to be a. good to himself, there is no reason why ·he should secure happiness for another. In· a. few yea.re it will make no difference to me what I have been, whether I have practised altruism or not. The "·orld ha.s not yet discovered a. principle -for regulating human. relationship that can supersede Christianity. , ,u
Ver. 15.-Tli.e evil ejfeds of heresy. " But if ye bite· and devour .one ,another, ta.k<3 heed that ye be not consumed one of another." · • • I. HERESY GENDERS BITTER DISPUTES. The presence of the Judaists would natnra.lly cause constant strife, whether they succeeded or whether they failed, for the Galatians would take sides, and be thus launched into endless debate. 'l'he strifes; ,of which Cb urch history is so full, are not due to the truth, but to the efforts of errorists to debase it or to destroy it. Believers a.re bound to contend earnestly for. the faith once "Gelivered to the saints. IL THE INJURIOUS EFFECT OF DISSENSIONS UPON THE CHURCH. 1. They ·put an end to Christian peace. Spiritual life is impove_ris_hed and all but killed. 2. Th~Y. injure the credit, character, and usefulness of Chr1stla.n people. "Hatred, envy, revtling, are u the teeth of snakes and lions" (Starke). If Christians appear to bite and devour olle another, the wor!d will receive a.n impression of extreme cruelty in•the-character of the followers of the gentle Jesus. Ill. THEY TEND TO SCATTER AND DESTROY THE CHUROH. "Ye will be consumed one of another." The contest will not end in a victory to either pa.rly, but will end in the common extinction of both. The idea is taken from wild beasts which tear their OH, V, 1-20,] 'l'HE EPISTLE 'l'O THE GALATIAXS. 27.3
victims to pieces till nothing is left. "Dissolution is the da.ughter of dissension " ~Nazianzen). 'l'he Gentiles, seeing Christia.ns qua.rrelling, would be repelled from Christia.nity, converts would go back to their old heathenism or their old Judaism, and. the OhriEtian community might be entirely broken up.