The Washington times., 1894-08-20
LOVE IN THE DIVINE LAW
Not Only Its Letter But Its Spirit
Ought to Be Obeyed.
GODS BEST THOUGHTS FOR MAN
Least Disarrangement Of His Order in the
Universe Shows Tenderness in Its Adjust
ment-Lack of the Spirit Of Purity Makes
Person a Law Breaker.

The Rev. Francis A Horton, D. D., of Pro-
vidence, R. l., filled the pulpit OF the New
| York Avenue Presbyterian church yesterday
morning, in the absence of the pastor, the Rev.
| Alvin Bartlett, d. D.
DIR. Horton preached to large congrega-
| ton on the subject of Love in law, and law
| in love-" He took his text from Romans,
xiii:10-"Love is the fulfilling OF the law"
| He said in part: Law has u harsh sound,
and forbidding look. Love has pleasant
| sound, and a charming aspect. Law is cold,
repellant; love is warm. attractive. Law in
cludes within its sweep the black cap. and
| the death knot. Love includes within its
embrace, the white veil and the love knot.
Separated in these their extreme expressions,
by the whole diameter of thought, do they
have. or can they have anything in common?
How is il possible for love TO fulfill law
The preacher then proceeded to define
love" He said: God the lawgiver, Is love.
Unholy love is misnomer, an impossibility.
As we'll speak of dark light. When ray of
light ceases to appear it is not imprisoned in
shades. When ray of Gods love that lies
across human heart ceases to be love 1t is
not imprisoned in impurity; it has simply
mixed and odious takes its place. All known
love is born of God. The least disarrange-
ment of His order in the universe shows what
love and tenderness are displayed in its ad
justment.
when that ambitious youth aspired to
drive the car of Phpbus, and let the horses
run away, taking the cnariot of the sun
little out of the appointed course that love
had surveyed for it. all nature walled in
agony: icy mountains began to perspire;
wheat fields tainted and turned black in the
face; lakes rushed up into the clouds in mist;
men sought caves and cool retreats until
Great Jove, to stop the mischief. transfxed
the charioteer with dart, and restored things
to their appointed order.
LAW OF THE UNIVERSE.
Secondly. God, the all-loving, is law. BY
the very necessity of His being He is law. He
is the compendized law of the universe.
Every just law has come from Him. The law
OF nature is simply the uniform method OF
Gods activity. The laws of morals, written
on the heart and elsewhere. are simply the
outgoings OF Gods essential being. Human
creeds find their only grip on man when they
are clearly seen to be but a reflex OF the re-
vealed mind of God So fully do we believe
this Of human law that any statute framed by
man that can be shown plainly to be out of
harmony with God is at once null and void,
Gecltreu TO pe uDcOHStllutiOubl DtlOTe tHe Ddr
of Heaven by universal conscience and pub
lie sentiment. God then is law.
IF the same God is love and also is law.
then far back in Him love and law must lose
their identity and become enc; that is to say
love in Him fills up the measure of law. and
law fills up the measure of love in a mutual
and all-perfect blending.
1.-The first great reason why we are under law
at all is that God had large and loving de-
signs respecting US, which could only be
realized when we should follow along certain
lines of conduct that he has laid down. These
loving intimations of the way in which we
may come at Gods best thoughts for US are
his laws to US.
Another reason Of why we are under law is
that we are weak and ignorant and sorey
tempted. and therefore quite certain to miss
the best that God has provided for US unless
we are sternly guided by law. Gods COM
mandments are not grievous. His law is per-
feet; it restores the soul; it makes wise the
simple, rejoices the heart. enlightens the eyes,
by 1t his servant is warned. in keeping 1t is
great reward. God is glorified when every |
creature is at his best estate, and therefore |
happiest.
There is no return for love but love- hence |
there is no way in which we can fulfill law
that is an expression of love but to love the |
law and Him who gave it.
ITO every law there is letter and spirit, |
Obedience fulfls the letter, but fulfilling the |
letter is simply keeping the law, and not full
filing it. Only when in letter and in spirit
the law is kept can it be said to be fulfilled. |
As therefore only love be kept in its spirits.
SO can love only fulfill the law
CHRIST AND THE PHARIsEEs.
DR.. Horton then proceeded to copiously H. |
lustrate his reasonings. Take the Ten Com |
he said. The Pharisees were
the holy men of their day. They kept the |
law scrupulously in its letter. They called |
the "fence of the law" They |
counted its letters and its accents, knew |
many curious things about it, and invited |
many applications of its precepts But when |
Jesus came they thought from His conduct |
that He meant to destroy the law. Nay
said He, 1 come to fulfill it, He then pro-
ceeded to show its neglected spirit Now
they had only dwelt in letter. had stuck in the |
law. and had never reached to its heart, and |
therefore had only kept it, although in
most laborious form, but had never fulfilled it.
do you teach?'' said he, that man must do
no murder, and call this fulfilling of the law
upon the point? l say unto you that murder
is of the heart, your hatreds, your eye for eyo
and tooth for tooth precepts, which are of the
nature of hatred. are heart murder. and a
of the command. You can keep 1t
only in love- Love your neighbor as yourself
So strange is this to your thought that call
it d new commandment. And yet it is no new
but only the heart of the old one.
The spirit in which alone ii may be fulfilled.
So love fulfills the first table. and love only
,an. But continues the great expounder of
The law. docs he who. studiously yet coldy.
obevs his parents, fulfill the command with
promise? Does he who simply abstains from
overt acts of vileness fulfill the command
which enJoins social purity?
rs the self-denialt that is sometimes involved
in the refusal to lie about neighbor. all that
tIo f,,1g of