The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-28

alegory. Man has broken Gods law; but mat
law re tains All It's claims, and Tenews them.
Inc law is embodied IN the Gospel. All TINS was
insiructiyely represented IN the AK OF the cove
nant laid up in the hottest OF all and typIiying
the new covenant ON the lid OF IL were the
cneTuplm, oYershadOWng the blOod-sprlnkled
mercy seat; and the promise was given, "There
Will meet with tnee and commune with thee on
the mercy seat nom between the Cherubim.n But
within tae ark were the two taoles Of stone.
Christ came not to destroy the law, but TO funl
The Gospel wherever 1t goes, carries within II the
law fu1led py Christ, the law Sui binding on His
followers. There Is sense In which believers are
Tree from the law; they are free from its curse;
but in anoteer sense they are still under IL; they
are not Tree from toe ooig ation TO obey IL. When
siuners come 10 Christ tie welcomes them; he
says Your Sins be forgiven you; but He does not
Ego ana in no more.5 Just as the father, alter
rejoicing over the return OF his prOdigal son, took
nla nto his house 10 keep him in safety, so our
heavenly Father takes US INTO His family to train
US to obedience When the sinner comes TO
Christ Christ pays his aebts but y Is only TO SEND
ter, but me newness OF tke spirit In heaven II.
sell the soul, brought into unison with the law Of
love, will be fulfilling IL TO perfection, and the
music OF heaven will consist essentially In attuned
hearts, eacn breathing It's own melody, and all in
harmony: hearts IN accord With the heart OF Coo,
and III accord with one another, and fulfilling the
pleasure of God forever ana ever. The law has
two marked features.
II is imperative. Il speaks as one having
authorlty1lt SPEAKS IN the name OF GOD.
IL says Thou snalt do THIS thou shalt not do
thatn "The categorical imperative" was the
designation given II BY the great German meta
but what ought TO be. All It's adirmations are
commands, All Its negatons are prohibitions. It
has rewards rich and numerous Tor those who
oDey L. IL has penalties certain and terrible Tor
those who tIansgress 1t. God has vicegerent 10
sustain IT, IN the conscience, (which shows the
work OF the law written in their hearts, their con-
science also bearing Witness, and their thoughts
the meanwhile accusing, or else excuslnR one
another.n There IS a witness within which con-
strains US to acknowledge its right 10 obedience.
II Is determinative. IL Is categorical; 1t has ITS
VIII not lower Guilty or not guilty, are the
alternatives II proposes. IL admits OF no middle
course compromise; 1t accepts OF no excuse IL
Will not listen TO any plea or extenuatlon In TINS
respect the order tue reguariues OF the physical
world resemble H. Hence lor me III last TWO
nature as supposed TO have been enacted BY
lawgver II is interesting to notice that they are
called "ordlnancesn IN Scripture (PsalInS CXiX.,
OIL. "IheY continue this day according 10 thine
ordinances, for all are thy servants" We hear
much IN these times oil the laws oil nature OF their
being so fixed and immutable Those Rho speak
in way apt TO forget that there Is another
law which Is still more Interchangeable, ana shall
ande when the heavens are rolled up like scroll.
1t is by these TWO kinda o law, the one moral, the
light" that COO rules our worldly the one moral
agents, by the otner physical agents-maklng
and grand END. In one respect the two are alike:
both are innexlble. But they diner. Tine laws OF
nature admit OF no exceptions. They cannot be
changed except by Him who appointed them. The
VIII OF man cannot arrest them Gravftation IS
as ready 10 bring down AN unsupported stone 10
crush as it Is TO keep the earth moving on Dene-
1cenIy IN It's sphere. The winds which drive on
the vessel one day may sink It in the deep the
to nourish us are ready 10 mix poison TO klu US.
On the other hand moral laws may be broken. We
ara now IN the region OF the Will In order TO be
a moral agent man must be q Tree agent Love
that IL constrained is not love. Morality COM
PEELED Is not true morality. SO moral law may be
broken while physical law cannot, But moral
law, properly understood Is quite as infexible as
unrelentlng, as natural law. Ii we neglect The
laws OF health the consequences may be disease or
death. But II we Yioiate the laws or morality the
consequences may be, must be, much more fatal
IN a conuemning conscience or III judgments to
descend IN this lie or the life TO come. Natural
law, which moves on so regularly, 80 irresistlDly,
so benehcently, IS the httest outward type ana
emblem of that moral law which rules the heaven
and controls the eartn
M RELATION or LOVE AND Law IN GOD.
The planet Is held in its sphere by two Innu-
ences one tmpslng, the other staying IL. 80 Is
Is with moral beings they are orawn by love.
but 1t IL love regulated by Jaw IL is Wen that the
earth should have an attraction toward the sun,
without which II would wander into an outer re-
were there no restraining power IL would be
drawn into the SUMS atmosphere and DO con-
.sumed by his heat Ia like manner moral excel
lence implies OF necessity these two things, love
and law; the one TO attract the other 70 guide In
the right path. Ii is not easy TO embody In hu-
man conceptions and 10 express in human Ian
Euage the relation oil law and love. We know tnat
Is In God, the source Of both. Even as God Is the
origin OF all other things OF nature, OF force,
OF matter, OF mind, 30 Is lie also the origin o.
love and Law. All these streams, II we follow
them up sufficiently far carry us 10 the fountain
Love Is the refreshing water; the law Is the chan
bosom OF God "Iet us love one another. Tor love
is OF God" Charity Is the highest OF all the
graces: "rhere abideth these three, iaith, nope
and charity but the greatest Of these is charity"
But then CHARITY never tries 10 set Itself above
law; II IL did So il might work only mischief
Love Is the IulnIling Of the law Love takes tbe
form OF q commandment. When asked by the
lawyer, Which Is the great commandment In the
law ~ Jesus saId unto him, 'Ffnou shalt love the
Lord thy God win all thy heart, and with all tiny
soul, anu with all thy mlnd-;n this Is the lrst ana
great commandment, and the second Is like unto
II, Thou shalt love thy neighbor lhySeiLn ON
these Two commandments hang all tho law and
the prophets. Thus indissoluDly are charity ana
commandment joined in scripture. it's love that
makes US IKE unto Goa. WHO Is love: but the love
cannot by any process OF analysis get rid or either
OF these elements. Detective systems OF ethics
arise from emitting one or other, or not giving
each It's due place. stole pnarsaic morality
leaves cut love ana presents only the expression
less form OF law. utlEarIaDism leaves out eter-
nal ana IN h anReaDls obligation, aRd offers nex-
iDfe morality, suiting itself 70 supposed results.
MY INDUSTRIOUS predecessor, Jonathan EDWARDS,
the greatest thinker that this country has pro-
duced In whose dazzling beams the others or us
appear merely as the smaller planets passing over
the disk Of the sun, has made bold attempt TO
resolve all virtue into love- But tAen he hss TO
make II love to being as being. The very state
ment shows that there IS another element as well
that being has claims, ana that there must
be some means OF determining tne claims
God and our neighOor. Yes, but whence tnis word
ought 20 iul OF meaning Why should love
the response, and Will continue TO do so whether
we attend TO IL or no. All TINS implies that along
side OF love there ~ law, commanding and de-
manding. Far as the eye can reach tue two are
seen to run parallel. DO not say that they never
meet, for they meet In the nature OF Goa aud Of
all holy beings. Ana, though OFTEN discovered
here, they Will NEE at last In the character Of
SAINTS in heaven win whom love Will be law and
Law VIII be love. 1WbaL therefore, God hath
joined together let not man put ssGnder.n There
Is no proprtety IN drawing tnvIdious comparisons
as 10 the relative Importance OF me two il might
be argued that law is the higher, for II commands
love- SAYS when 10 Is to now, and where IL 10 TO
stay. But shen love IS The very END Tor which the
law exists: the end oil the commandment is char
ity Law without love Is mere form without life
love without law Is q life without a body IN wbich
TO reside Law without love Is channel vita
ont stream; love without Law may a stream,
bursting iursh aud spreading destruction. Let
tue two revulve round each other Ike binary
stars. each with Its own color, the one the com
piemcnt OF the other. Let righteousness stand
forever on the pedestal on which he has been set
up, with his high look and uRDcnding men, the
master and the guardian, aud ever beside him be-
meath nifn, and leaning upon bin, ret beautiful
and graceful as he, let there be seen Love, with
smiles upon her iace and gifts IN her hands. ne
lteve they were never separated till appeared.