The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Timothy — Section 36

who Me committed to his care. 1. The W'l!e of tM ,-,_ mUBt be ,usociated toUA ptWe elements. "O_ut of a pure heart." He mu,t have, mingled with his affection, and giving character to 1t, an antipathy to sin in every form, to unreality, to 1uperficiality; and a passion for holiness in every form, for reality, for depth. 2. The love of tM t«Jdier mUBt be associated with con~cientio11sne,s. " And a good conscience." He mUBt ban, in the first place, a conscience that fai, hfully witnesses to his duty, to the methods be should follow in bis work, to the forms of service his love for the people should take. And he must have, in the second place-which is also included in the scriptural idea of a good conscience-the approval of his own mind, the consciousness that he is using all diligence in carrying out his ideas of duty, in following his methods, in his endeavo~ to be serviceable. 3. The love of tM teacher must befedfr(Y111, the highest Sourc,,. "Anl faith unfeigned." His faith brings him into contact with an invisible Saviour, by whom he is elevated in his whole spirit as a teacher, at the fountain of whose love hia love is fed, and not only in intensity but in all that it needs of purity and direction. Only his faith must be unfeigned; for if it is not in hie life, if it is only 38 a mask, then he can only come into contact with his own imaginings, by which certainly he cannot be elevated, from which source bis love cannot properly be fed. III. THE END MISSED. " From which things some having swerved have turned aside unto vain talking; desiring to be teachers of the Law, though they understand neither what they say, nor whereof they confidently affirm." The end was missed by the false teachers. They did not hit the purity of motive, conscientiousness, unfeignedness of faith, that should have given character to their affection. Being thus incapable of profitable discourse, they" turned aside unto vain talking." They gave themselves out to be "teachers of the Law," i.e. the Mosaic Law, especially the Law of the ten com- mandments, afterward referred to in detail. But they were doubly disqualified. They were confused in what they said. They were, therefore, different from the teachers of the Law who were 01•posed in the Churches of Galatia. For these were not chMgeable with incoherencics; they knew well enough what they said in seeking to 111bvert Christian liberty, We ari• rather to think of mystical interpretation of the Law. They were further disqualified in not understanding their subject, viz. the Law; the confidence of their affirmations being in proportion to the extent of their ignorance. IV. UBE OF THE LA w. "But we know that the Law is good, if a man use it lawfully, as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for man-slayers, for fornicators, for abusers of themselves with men, for men-ste.ilers, for liars, for false swearers, and if there be any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine." The apostle begins by laying down a propoHition about the Law which no one would be disposed to controvert. It was a boon from Heaven if used according to its intention. In the next proposition he indicates the intention of the law as coming under the intention of all law. His position is, that law is not made for a righteous man. " Let us think of the relation in which a good man stands to the laws of his country. In one sense, indeed, he is under them; but in another and higher sense he is above them, and moves along hia course with conscious freedom, as if he scarcely knew of their existence. For what is the object of such laws but to prevent, under severe penalties, the commission of crime? Crime, however, is already the object of his abhorrence; he needs no penalties to keep him from it. He would never harm the person or property of s neighbour, though there were not a single enactment in the statute-book on the subject. His own love of goocl and hatred of evil keep him in the path of rectitude, not the fines, imprisonment:!, or tortures which the law hangs around the path of the criminal. The law WI\S not made for him." As truly can it be said that the Law of the ten commandment~ is not made for the Christian, who is the righteous man. For he is justified by the faith of Christ, i.e. he is regarded as having fulfilled the whole Law in Christ. What more, then, has the Law to do with him? And further, so far as he answers to the conception of a Christian, he iR SBJ1Ctified by the faith of Christ. He is in Christ as the Source of hii! holinel!S. He has gl)t beyond the discipline of the Law, inasmuch as he has got it already in his heart. Thus does the apostle take the ground from under the would-be teachers of the Law, whose position would he that the Law mystically interpreted was necessary to putting the crown (If perfection on the Chri.,tian. The Law is made for unright«Ju,  THE FIRST EPIS'l'LE TO TIMOTHY. [oa. L 1-20.